Diabetes myths and facts are worth knowing, because almost every family now has someone living with the condition. Dr Sachin Agarwal, an MD Medicine and critical care specialist who leads the Jamnagar unit of Ayush Group of Hospitals, explained diabetes in a Medvyn podcast conversation. Along the way, he cleared up several common beliefs.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes means the sugar level in the blood stays too high. The body normally keeps sugar within a fixed range, because every substance in the blood works properly only in the right amount.

Blood sugar rises for two main reasons: the body makes too much sugar, or it cannot use the sugar it receives. A hormone called insulin, released by the pancreas, controls this process.

Myth 1: Sweets Alone Cause Diabetes

This is the most common belief, and Dr Agarwal calls it completely wrong. When sugar enters the body, the body releases insulin and manages it.

The real problem is insulin resistance. Insulin is present, but it does not work at full strength. Over time, obesity, stress, poor sleep and an inactive lifestyle can cause this. Because the sugar is then not used properly, blood sugar climbs, and the excess slowly damages blood vessels. As a result, it can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and eye damage, including diabetic retinopathy.

Myth 2: Diabetes Only Affects Older People

Age is not the direct cause. However, lifestyle changes over the last 15 to 20 years have shifted the pattern. Diabetes that once appeared after 40 is now commonly seen in people in their 30s.

Myth 3: Diabetes Can Never Be Reversed

Among all diabetes myths and facts, this one gives the most hope. Doctors often advise eating less sugar, walking or exercising for 30 to 40 minutes daily, and controlling weight. All of this aims to reduce insulin resistance.

Fat builds up first inside the abdomen, and then shows outside. When weight comes down, the need for medicine can fall too. In some patients, medicines can even be stopped. This is called diabetes reversal, and doctors also use the word remission. It must always happen under medical supervision, and no one should stop medicine on their own.

Myth 4: Needing Insulin Means Treatment Has Failed

Many tablets work by helping the body release more of its own insulin. They can work well for years. Eventually, however, the pancreas may not produce enough insulin, a stage doctors call burnt-out.

At that point, insulin injections are needed. Rapid-acting insulin is taken around meals, medium-acting insulin covers later sugar rises, and long-acting insulin is taken once or twice daily. According to Dr Agarwal, a newer once-weekly insulin has also arrived. Insulin is simply the next stage of treatment.

Myth 5: A Product Can Cure Diabetes

Advertisements for miracle cures attract people who are already suffering. Dr Agarwal says he has never used such products, and he prescribes only medicines backed by trials and evidence. He does not comment on other systems of medicine. His advice is simple: before taking any product, ask your own specialist doctor.

What You Can Do Now

If you are overweight, inactive, stressed or sleeping poorly, ask your doctor about testing. The World Health Organization notes that a healthy diet, regular physical activity and a normal body weight can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

This article is for awareness and does not replace medical advice.

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Source: Medvyn Podcast, featuring Dr Sachin Agarwal.