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Diabetes myths and facts A prevalent disease + popular misconceptions = multiple health hazards. Learn the truth about diabetes. If you feel perfectly fine, you probably don’t have diabetes. Myth:
Fact: Unfortunately, a large proportion of people who have diabetes don’t know they have it. High or low blood sugar doesn’t always cause symptoms so monitoring your levels (through blood tests) is the only way to be certain. Only a doctor can tell you for sure if you have diabetes. When diabetes goes unmanaged, it puts you in danger of many complications that can seriously endanger your health.*
If you don’t have relatives with diabetes, you won’t get the disease. Myth:
Fact: Although having a parent, brother or sister with diabetes makes you more at risk for the disease, not having relatives with diabetes doesn’t mean you’re completely spared. Aside from having diabetes in the family, obesity, blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle, cholesterol levels and age are some other risk factors for diabetes. If you have any risk factors, your blood sugar should be screened more often. Visit your doctor to have your sugar level checked.
Myth: Eating too much sugar can cause diabetes. Fact: No one can pinpoint the exact cause of diabetes, but it is safe to say that a combination of internal and external factors leads to the development of disease. For instance, your genes (internal) may make you prone to diabetes, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle (external) can help prevent the onset of diabetes. Sugar doesn’t cause diabetes directly, but if your diet is too high in sugar, it can lead to obesity, which in turn increases your risk for diabetes. By the way, the kind of sugar you eat (that is, refined sugar) isn’t the same type of sugar (glucose) measured by blood tests. *See “Diabetes 101” on the last page of this issue.
A Slice of Orange is a newsletter designed to help clarify basic health information and offer juicy tips on uplifting your health.
Editorial team Alvin Delfin Christine Llenes Orange de Guzman, MD
V o l u m e
Myth: Some
types of diabetes are worse than others; you can treat diabetes so one type can be converted into another type. Fact: There is no such thing as a serious or a mild type of diabetes. All types of diabetes have to be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication or else serious complications could develop. There are three major types of diabetes: • Type 1 diabetes mellitus is usually diagnosed in childhood. People with this type make little or no insulin, so their treatment regimen has to include insulin. • Type 2 diabetes mellitus is much more common than type 1, and is usually diagnosed in adulthood. In this type of diabetes, the body does not respond well to insulin. • Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy in women who did not have the disease prior to pregnancy. Maintaining an ideal body weight and an active lifestyle may prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, but there is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes.
People with diabetes are not supposed to eat sweets and are limited to special foods. Myth:
Fact: Dessert can be part of a diabetic meal plan, especially when combined with exercise. People with diabetes should definitely avoid eating too many sweets
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– but people without the disease should take this advice as well! Actually, the meal plan for people with diabetes is very similar to that recommended for the rest of the population: low in fat (especially saturated and trans fats), moderate in salt and sugar, with whole-grain foods, vegetables and fruit.
Myth: Exercise can worsen diabetes. Fact: On the contrary, people with diabetes SHOULD exercise. It has been proven that regular exercise can help manage sugar levels, get rid of extra pounds and control high blood pressure – thus preventing many diabetic complications. Make sure you get your doctor’s approval before starting an exercise program.
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Diabetes 101
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Why are people with diabetes prone to foot problems?
Here are some basics on this worldwide disease. • Diabetes is a lifelong disease
• The blood test HbA1c is reflective
characterized by high blood sugar
of how well your sugar has been
levels.
controlled over the past 2 to 3
• Diabetes can be caused by too
months. People with diabetes should
little insulin, resistance to insulin, or
maintain an HbA1c of <7.0%.
both of these conditions.
• High blood levels of glucose can cause symptoms like frequent
When you digest food, glucose (a type of sugar and a source of energy) enters your bloodstream. In healthy people, the pancreas produces adequate amounts of insulin, which is a hormone that moves glucose into muscle, fat and other cells so it can be used as fuel. “Resistance to insulin” means cells do not respond normally to insulin. When glucose stays in the bloodstream instead of entering cells, a blood test will detect that the sugar level is high.
urination, excessive thirst, excessive hunger, fatigue, weight loss and blurry vision. • There is no treatment that can get rid of diabetes completely. You can, however, change your lifestyle and take medicines to control blood
People with uncontrolled blood sugar are likely to develop blood vessel or nerve damage. These people may not notice when their feet are injured because they don’t feel their soles anymore. The wound can worsen because it can get infected – people with diabetes cannot fight infection as well as healthy people can. If the wound is left untreated, skin and nearby tissue can die and the affected foot may have to be amputated in worst-case scenarios.
sugar and prevent symptoms and complications. Medications include insulin and glucose-lowering pills. • If diabetes is not managed well, long-term
complications
could
develop, involving the heart, eyes, • A fasting plasma glucose level of
kidneys, nerves and blood vessels.
126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher
Studies have shown that strict control
is one of the indicators of diabetes.
of blood sugar and blood pressure
“Fasting” is no caloric intake for at
levels in persons with diabetes helps
least 8 hours. Your doctor may want
reduce the risk of kidney disease,
to conduct further tests to ensure the
eye disease, nervous system disease,
diagnosis.
heart attack and stroke.
To prevent injury to the feet, people with diabetes should check their feet daily and practice special foot care. If you have diabetes: • Wash your feet every day with mild soap, and dry them thoroughly. • Soften dry skin with lotion or petroleum jelly. • Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes. • Don’t shave corns or calluses. Visit a professional. • Stop smoking – it affects blood flow to the feet.
A slice of trivia Fill in the blank: Diabetes is a condition that seems like another type of diabetes, but is completely unrelated to type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus and is marked by frequent thirst and urination. Freshen up on your researching skills, e-mail us the answer at orange@activelink-consult.com and win a prize! From those with the correct answer, 10 people will be randomly chosen to win Reduced Fat Digestive Biscuits
from Marks and Spencer. We’ll include the answer in the next issue of A Slice of Orange. Answer to last issue’s question: What R word is the medical term for a facelift?
The more technical term for a facelift is rhytidectomy, or the surgical removal of wrinkles in the face and neck area. Rhytidectomy, one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries, can remove excess fat, tighten underlying muscles and redrape the skin of the face and neck for
Looking to enhance your corporate healthcare benefits? E-mail us at benefits@activelink-consult.com. The information in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a doctor for all matters relating to your health, particularly for symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. © 2007 ActiveLink Employee Benefits Made Better
ActiveLink Insurance Brokers, Inc. 104 VA Rufino Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, 1229 Philippines T: +632 817 4606 / 817 7900 www.activelink-consult.com
the illusion of a more youthful appearance.
The Orange wants to he ar from you!
Dying to ask us your healthrelated questio ns? Itching to share your pers onal health tips? Want to sugges t topics for futu re issues? Feel fre e to contact us . You can e-mail our team at orange@activel ink-consult.com .