We have often heard that if you eat too much sugar, you are prone to getting diabetes. Since childhood, your parents and grandparents always warn you against eating too much sugar for the fear that you might get the condition. However, there are several myths surrounding diabetes and the conclusion that eating too much sugar cause diabetes is one such myth. However, it is true that you should not eat too much sugar for several reasons. In this article, we shall analyze and discuss the myths and facts surrounding the relationship between diabetes and sugar.

So, come and join in for the article “Can Eating Too Much Sugar Cause Diabetes? Myths and Facts.”

Myths

The following are some of the myths regarding the relationship between diabetes and sugar that are falsely believed as true:

– Well, one of the myths about diabetes is that eating too much sugar leads to diabetes. However, this is not true. Type 1 diabetes, as we know, is a condition which takes place in your body when the beta cells of the pancreas are damaged. The damage takes place because of the loss of effective immunity in the body. This is not directly related to how much sugar you are eating or taking in on a daily basis.

– While type 1 diabetes is mainly caused due to genetic and other environmental factors, type 2 is mostly contracted as a result of obesity and that way your lifestyle is.

– As against the popular belief, you can eat cakes and other things that have sugar in it. However, while doing so, remember to not go overboard and eat within the recommended quantity.

– It is also a myth, that if you are someone who has diabetes already, you should not and cannot eat chocolate or foods that are sweet. However, if you consult your doctor and make them a part of your daily diet while also being mindful of the total carbohydrate intake, you can, once in a while go for the same.

– Fruit does not contain sugar and so you can eat as much fruit as possible is again a myth that you should be aware of.

The above are some of the facts about sugar and diabetes which are often believed to be true but are indeed not true. So, be aware of such myths and consult your doctor about the same.

Also Read: How Many Grams of Sugar Can a Diabetic Have?

Facts:

The following are some of the facts about the relationship between diabetes and sugar that most of the people are not aware of:

– As mentioned above, eating sugar does not affect you with diabetes directly. However, having said that, it is important to remember that one of the important reasons for type 2 diabetes is obesity in the individual. When you eat too much sugar, putting on weight becomes quite a possibility. This is the reason why you might get diabetes. Thus, although putting on weight can be a cause, eating sugar is not a direct cause for diabetes.

– The main reason why sugar is often associated with diabetes is that sugar breaks down into carbohydrates. Carbohydrates intake, if not controlled can be damaging for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

– There are two main types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.

– Simple carbohydrates are the ones that digest quickly and so when you eat them, the level of rise in the blood glucose level is fast

– On the other hand, complex carbohydrates take much longer time to get digested and hence, the blood glucose levels do not rise to a considerable extent as much as it does in the case of simple carbohydrates

– Different sources of sugar including the processed sugars such as various types of condiments, all the sugary drinks that you find, if had in excess, will expose you to a greater risk of diabetes.

– The trick when it comes to including sweet food in your diet is that you should go for small portions and save the food for certain special occasions.

– A few diabetes patients also suffer from what is known as hypoglycemia or extremely low levels of blood sugar. For the patients with hypoglycemia, it is important that in order to elevate the levels of blood glucose to the required levels, you sometimes need sugary drinks or a glucose tablet

– Another important fact about sugar and diabetes is that the fresh fruits contain a form of sugar known as fructose which is essentially a form of simple carbohydrate. Simple forms of carbohydrate, as seen above, are harmful to all the diabetes patients. Hence in diabetes, you need to be careful even while eating fruits. You cannot go overboard and be mindful of the total amount of carbohydrates present in the fruit

– There are a number of artificial sweeteners that are today available in the market. These artificial sweeteners contain what is known as sugar alcohols and most of them are not devoid of calories. Although a few artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, etc. are recommended by experts, you still need to be careful while eating them.

– As per the experts, the total amount of sugar that you should be acting should not be more than 25 grams in a day which is equivalent to somewhere around five teaspoons of sugar.

Also Read: 10 Myths about Diabetes That You Should Know!

We hope that the above article has been helpful in making you understand the relationship that exists between eating sugar and diabetes. There are several myths that are believed to be true and several facts are unknown and the patients are aloof from them. It is imperative, therefore, that you stay up to date and consult your doctor about eating sugar when you are a diabetic.

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• http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/diabetes-true-false.html
• https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/diet/can-eating-too-much-sugar-cause-diabetes/
• https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/diabetes-food-myths/myth-sugar-causes-diabetes
• http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/myths/

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