Things I wish people would stop believing about diabetes

Do you know your facts when it comes to diabetes? In the past 20 years the number of cases of diabetes in the UK has doubled, largely due to the surge in obesity of the rise of type 2 diabetes. But there is still plenty of misinformation out there. Dr. Ellie Cannon busts the most common myths about the condition:

1. Type 2 diabetes is the 'mild' one

This is very far from the truth. Both types of diabetes are incredibly serious. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes both causes the body to be unable to process sugar properly. They arise in different but both life expectancy and cause life-changing, distressing complications.

Type 2 diabetes is a significant risk factor for other diseases such as heart disease and stroke, and therefore accounts for many deaths in the UK each year.

2. Diabetes is just about blood sugar

Yes, it's true that both types of diabetes involve sugar control and treatment to avoid dangerous changes in the blood. But diabetes is a disease that affects more than just blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes causes severe damage to the eyes, the kidneys and the nerves leading to loss of sensation in the feet and even loss of limbs. Because of the effects on the small blood vessels within the body, Type 2 has a large spectrum of effects from erectile dysfunction to dementia and is still the leading cause of blindness in the UK.

Getty ImagesPeter Dazeley

3. Diabetes only happens to 'fat' people

This is not actually the case. When you look at figures for type 2 diabetes only around 85% of cases will be overweight which means there are people who are in fact slim.

Not all overweight people develop type 2 diabetes and there are other risk factors people should know. Family history, ethnicity, and being overweight are all at risk if you have a sedentary lifestyle or suffered with diabetes during pregnancy.

4. Type 2 diabetes is the late-onset one

We used to talk about diabetes in terms of "late-onset" as type 2. Sadly this is no longer the case and the childhood obesity crisis grows, so do the number of young type 2 diabetics.

5. Diabetes only happens if you eat sweets

Type 2 diabetes develops in people who are overweight or who have other risk factors. It does not matter whether it is obese or not, or it is not enough.

6. Type 2 diabetes is the diet-controlled one

This is partially true, but dangerous. It can be true that the earlier stages of type 2 diabetes can be managed, and dare I say even reversed, by excellent diet control.

A low GI diet can stabilize blood sugar changes and control the condition very well. However, strict diet control is not easy and takes a lot of willpower, education and motivation. Most type 2 diabetics will need medication: not injecting insulin but tablets to control blood sugar. This is no easy ride: the tablets come with side effects and complications of their own.