News Diabetes - Just the Facts

AUSTIN, Texas - (Nov. 1, 2011) - The Texas Diabetes Council reports that diabetes diagnoses in Texas increased 28 percent from 2005 to 2010. We now have 2.2 million people in our state with diabetes, and that number could grow to 7.9 million Texans by the year 2040. Additionally, we likely have 440,000 Texans with diabetes today who have not yet been diagnosed, but do have diabetes.

FACTS AND MYTHS ABOUT DIABETES

Are you able to sort out the facts and the myths related to diabetes? Take this test to see what you know. Decide if each of the following statements is a FACT or a MYTH.

1. FACT or MYTH: Diabetes is a serious disease.
2. FACT or MYTH: Diabetes is a rare condition.
3. FACT or MYTH: Most people diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
4. FACT or MYTH: A person knows he or she has diabetes because of the symptoms he or she experiences.
5. FACT or MYTH: Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing diabetes.
6. FACT or MYTH: Only older adults get type 2 diabetes.
7. FACT or MYTH: Eating sugar causes diabetes.
8. FACT of MYTH: Ethnicity increases one's risk of developing diabetes.
9. FACT or MYTH: Someone who has diabetes needs special foods.
10. FACT or MYTH: People with diabetes must avoid carbohydrates.
11. FACT or MYTH: Someone who has a family member (parent, grandparent, sibling or aunt/uncle) with diabetes is at higher risk of developing diabetes.
12. FACT or MYTH: If I do not take medicine to control abnormal blood sugar, I do not really have diabetes.
13. FACT or MYTH: I can take steps to prevent diabetes if I am at risk for developing the disease.
14. FACT or MYTH: If I take insulin, my diabetes is more serious than if I control my blood sugar with diet or diet and pills.
15. FACT or MYTH: Fats in my diet raise my blood sugar.

Answers:

1. Diabetes is a serious disease.
Answer: FACT
The high blood sugar that occurs with diabetes has a negative effect on large and small blood vessels. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, limb amputations (excluding trauma) and new cases of blindness in the United States. People with diabetes are at two to four times the risk of heart disease and stroke. Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. What most people newly diagnosed with diabetes fail to realize is that the high blood sugar can be controlled and good blood sugar control significantly reduces the risk of complications.

2. Diabetes is a rare condition.
Answer: MYTH
8.3 percent of Americans have diabetes. One in four adults in the United States today will develop diabetes at some time in their lifetime. This is not a rare health condition.

3. Most people diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
Answer: MYTH
In fact, only about 5 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes (previously called juvenile onset-diabetes) . 95 percent of all persons diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

4. A person knows he or she has diabetes because of the symptoms they experience.
Answer: MYTH
Most Americans know that the following symptoms require action because they can indicate diabetes:

• Frequent urination
• Extreme thirst or hunger
• Unexplained weight change
• Fatigue or lack of energy
• Slow healing cuts or wounds
• Frequent infections
• Blurry vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Depression

Most Americans would schedule an appointment with their physician if they recognized these symptoms. Often though, people are diagnosed with diabetes and report that they did not recognize these symptoms before the lab work showed diabetes. According to Becky Goldsmith, RN, CDE and manager of the Diabetes Education Program at Seton Healthcare Family, "the majority of people coming to the program report that they had no idea they had diabetes until the doctor's office called about the lab results from routine lab work. Diabetes can sneak up on people. For this reason, it is important to talk to your doctor and get screened regularly if you are at risk for developing diabetes."

5. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing diabetes.
Answer: FACT
Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, reports that about 80 percent of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Body fat, especially the fat in our abdominal area, actually interferes with our ability to process sugar from the foods we eat. Recent weight gain or extra body weight increases our risk of developing diabetes.

6. Only older adults get type 2 diabetes.
Answer: MYTH
Only 26.9 percent of all Americans diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 were 65 years of age or older. People are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at younger ages. In fact, the CDC report that the majority of adults with diabetes in the United States in 2008 were under 65 years of age.

It is true that our risk for developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, but the sobering reality is that type 2 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age and is on the increase in younger people. The Texas Diabetes Council reports that 26,000 Texas youth have type 1 or type 2 diabetes in Texas .

7. Eating sugar causes diabetes.
Answer: MYTH
High sugar intake does not cause diabetes, but it can lead to excessive calorie intake and weight gain. Weight gain is correlated to increased risk for pre-diabetes and diabetes. Eliminating one 12-ounce soda per day with no other diet or exercise changes will support a 10-15 pound weight loss if continued for a full year.

8. Ethnicity increases one's risk of developing diabetes.
Answer: FACT.
The CDC reports that individuals in certain ethnic groups are at increased risk of developing diabetes. Specifically:

• 9.3 percent of all Americans have diabetes.
• 12.6 percent of African-Americans have diabetes.
• 11.8 percent of Hispanic-Americans have diabetes.
• 8.4 percent of Asian-Americans have diabetes.
• 7.1 percent of non-Hispanic whites have diabetes.

9. Someone who has diabetes needs special foods.
Answer: MYTH
There is no food that a person with diabetes must exclude from his or her diet after diagnosis of diabetes. Goldsmith explains that "healthy eating with diabetes is no different than healthy eating for any adult American." In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Americans 2010 promote health and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. These guidelines serve as an excellent template for a healthy plate for ANYONE (diabetic or not) in the United States.

10. People with diabetes must avoid carbohydrates.
Answer: MYTH
There are no foods that must be absolutely excluded from the diet in persons with diabetes. Carbohydrate foods break down to blood sugar and the problem in diabetes is the ability to process a large amount of blood sugar at one time. "People with diabetes must recognize what their body can handle at one meal," stated Julie Paff, RD, LD, CDE, diabetes educator with Seton Diabetes Education Center. "What we teach people with diabetes is how to establish the amount of carbohydrate they can tolerate at a meal, using home blood glucose monitoring techniques. Every person with diabetes has their own personal threshold for carbohydrates, and this tolerance can change with exercise, weight changes or medication changes."

11. Someone who has a family member (parent, grandparent, sibling or aunt/uncle) with diabetes is at higher risk of developing diabetes.
Answer: FACT.
There is a strong genetic component with type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association website reports that if you have type 2 diabetes and you were diagnosed after age 50, your child will have a 1 in 13 chance of having diabetes in his or her lifetime. If you were diagnosed before age 50, your child has a 1 in 7 chance of being diagnosed with diabetes in his or her lifetime.

12. If I do not take medicine to control abnormal blood sugar, I do not really have diabetes.
Answer: MYTH
In type 1 diabetes, the body no longer makes insulin and insulin injections are required to support life. With type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar can result from inadequate insulin production or the insulin may be less effective in moving blood sugar to muscles or long-term storage as body fat. High blood sugar can also occur because the body releases excess sugar from liver and muscle stores into the bloodstream. Diet is a powerful tool to control blood sugar. In fact, 16 percent of people diagnosed with diabetes are able to control blood sugar using diet and exercise. Some people use terms like "borderline diabetes" or "high sugar," but in fact these are type 2 diabetes.

13. I can take steps to prevent diabetes if I am at risk for developing the disease.
Answer: FACT.
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large research study, showed that those at highest risk for developing diabetes could reduce their personal risk of developing diabetes by about half by:

implementing healthy diet changes to support a 10-15 lb. weight loss, and
increasing physical activity to a goal of 30 minutes per day most days.
In fact, people over 60 years of age who increased physical activity and lost 5-7 percent of their weight saw a 71percent decrease in their risk of developing diabetes.

14. If I take insulin, my diabetes is more serious than if I control my blood sugar with diet or diet and pills.
Answer: MYTH
Early after the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, diet and exercise may help some persons with type 2 diabetes adequately manage blood sugar without additional medication. Anyone diagnosed with type 1 diabetes will require insulin. The majority of people with type 2 diabetes will require pills and/or insulin to achieve good blood sugar control. Remember, it is high blood sugar that increases the risks for diabetes-related complications, so it stands to reason that whatever it takes to achieve good blood sugar numbers will reduce the risk of complications. High blood sugar, not the medication used to lower blood sugar, determines risk for complications. Just one generation ago, the incidence of diabetes-related complications was higher because the medications available to manage blood sugar in individuals with diabetes were limited. Today, we have rapid-acting and long-acting insulin, as well as multiple oral medications (which work in different ways to control blood sugar).

15. Fats in my diet raise my blood sugar.
Answer: MYTH
Fats from one's diet (olive oil or butter - any fats ) actually enter the bloodstream as triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. Triglycerides are used by the body for energy or stored as body fat. Dietary fats will not raise my blood sugar in the hours after a meal, but they can contribute to weight gain and heart disease. People with diabetes and pre-diabetes are at 2-4 fold higher risk of heart disease. Dietary fats should be limited by individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetes because of the higher cardiovascular disease risks.

WHAT CAN I DO IF I HAVE DIABETES?

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes:
1. Partner with your doctor. You and your doctor will work together to manage your diabetes and this will ensure you a healthier future. Your doctor will recommend medications and lifestyle changes to improve your blood sugar control. Your doctor will also screen for early signs of complications and adjust treatment recommendations.
2. Learn about diabetes. There is an unbelievable amount of information about diabetes on the internet and in books, but the first step is really to learn how to manage your blood sugar. The American Diabetes Association recognizes programs that can demonstrate healthy outcomes. These ADA-recognized diabetes education programs usually involve multiple classes in an outpatient setting and cover a specific educational curriculum designed to empower participants to understand how diet, exercise and medications work together to control blood sugar.
3. Create a support system. You can live healthy with diabetes, but sometimes taking care of yourself is a struggle with the demands of daily life. Look to family and friends for support. Make decisions that support a healthy balance and consider diabetes support activities if you are struggling. We all struggle to stay on a healthy path (with diabetes or not) and there will be times when you will want to follow up with a diabetes educator to reassess your health plan.

The Seton Diabetes Education Center is committed to empowering persons with diabetes to live long and healthy lives. You can check out specific offerings at www.seton.net/diabetes. The Diabetes Education Center provides:
• ADA-recognized diabetes education classes - designed to teach individuals how to manage their diabetes. Participants will learn diet strategies, the role of exercise, the impact of weight loss, how diabetes medications work to control blood sugar and what blood glucose testing tells you about your diabetes control.
• Individual diet counseling - diet strategies play a powerful role in health with diabetes. Often, some individual time with the dietitian will define specific steps a person can take to improve health with diabetes.
• Diabetes Prevention Classes - there are steps you can take if you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or if you are at higher risk for developing diabetes. Seton offers low-cost classes on proven strategies to reduce the risk of developing diabetes for those at risk.
• Diabetes Support - Seton offers free "Ask the Expert" support educational seminars on a regular basis. Additionally, diabetes-friendly articles are regularly published on www.goodhealth.com website.