{"id":136281,"date":"2025-11-16T12:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T12:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/136281\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T12:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T12:24:10","slug":"5-type-2-diabetes-myths-doctors-want-you-to-stop-believing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/136281\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Type 2 Diabetes Myths Doctors Want You to Stop Believing"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are multiple kinds of diabetes<\/a>, but the most common<\/a>, type 2, has a bevvy of misinformation floating around the World Wide Web. Here, experts warn against believing these myths.<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t develop type 2 diabetes if it\u2019s not in your family tree.<\/p>\n

Myth buster: Anyone can develop diabetes. Having a family history of the disease raises your risk, as does lack of physical activity, a poor diet, and carrying a lot of weight. But even people who don\u2019t have family members with diabetes aren\u2019t completely safe. \u201cThere are genes that predispose us to diabetes, but this won\u2019t necessarily show up in your family history,\u201d says John Merendino, M.D., an endocrinologist and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine. If your grandfather had a genetic tendency, for example, but was an avid marathoner, he might not have developed it. Your best move: Starting at age 35, get checked, unless your M.D. advises you to start screening earlier.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of diabetes are pretty obvious.<\/p>\n

Myth buster: Not always. While you may experience some clear and classic symptoms\u2014frequent urination, increased thirst, blurred vision, fatigue\u2014there are lesser-known signs you might not notice or might attribute to other conditions. These include neuropathy (tingling or numbness in your limbs, hands, and feet); itchy skin; vaginal yeast infections; fungal skin infections; gingivitis; and weight loss, says Dr. Merendino. But even people with no symptoms should talk to their doctors about diabetes. \u201cAbout 3.4% of adults, or 8.7 million, have undiagnosed diabetes and aren\u2019t getting the treatment they need,\u201d says Priya Jaisinghani, M.D., an endocrinologist and obesity medicine doctor at NYU Langone Health. Diabetes can be diagnosed via blood work. <\/p>\n

People with prediabetes don\u2019t need medication. <\/p>\n

Myth buster: Some of the one in three American adults with prediabetes (elevated blood sugar that appears to be progressing toward diabetes) may benefit from meds right away. This depends on several things, including their A1c level (a lab marker for diabetes), their family history, and complicating factors such as being very heavy and having liver disease. \u201cAbout one-third of those with prediabetes will go on to develop diabetes over five to 10 years, and that number increases with time,\u201d says Dr. Merendino. Early care may include standard diabetes medication like metformin and SGLT2 inhibitors, or one of the newer meds such as Ozempic<\/a> and Mounjaro; these help lower blood sugar<\/a> and promote weight loss, which can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. \u201cThese drugs have fundamentally transformed the landscape for diabetes management,\u201d says Dr. Jaisinghani. <\/p>\n

If you have type 2 diabetes, you definitely need meds to control it.<\/p>\n

Myth buster: While many people with type 2 diabetes do, some might be able to manage their blood sugar levels through diet and exercise alone. \u201cThe higher someone\u2019s blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c levels are, the higher the risk of diabetes complications and the more likely they\u2019ll need medication therapy in combination with lifestyle changes,\u201d says Dr. Jaisinghani. Lifestyle changes alone may take longer to make a difference than medication. And if a person has already tried eating better and exercising more, for example, and their blood sugar is still too high, it\u2019s important to get the disease under control right away with medication. \u201cDelaying treatment can lead to serious complications such as heart disease and nerve damage,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

People with type 2 diabetes are responsible for their diagnosis\u2014it happened because they didn\u2019t eat right or exercise.<\/p>\n

Myth buster: No one should be blamed for developing diabetes. Not only is it unhelpful to stigmatize people, but no one can control their genetics\u2014having even one biological parent with diabetes raises your risk by 40%. As for the factors that are arguably within a person\u2019s control, not everyone has access to adequate health care, healthy food, and leisure time to be physically active. Eating healthily and exercising do help, but the problem of lack of access to a healthy lifestyle is a systemic one, so blaming individuals is off base, not to mention unkind. If you want to make a difference, find out where your legislator stands on expanding health care access and vote accordingly. <\/p>\n

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