IS there any diabetic patient who has not been told, by their own doctor, about having “high blood sugar” when according to the American Diabetes Association, they are suffering from a condition in which “the body does not produce or properly use insulin”? As a protective measure, most of the patients are often advised to limit their intake of sugar as well. Perhaps the oversimplification of medical jargons, or the repeated advice, has given birth to the old, and very popular belief that “Sugar is a major cause of diabetes.”
So, is it just a myth? Although the exact cause of diabetes is still unknown, and no research could yet pinpoint sugar as being directly responsible for causing diabetes, some studies do suggest that factors such as obesity and physical inactivity may put people at increased risks of diabetes. Since foods which are high in sugar are almost always high in calories, a diet with a large percentage of sugary foods may lead to obesity, which, in turn, can lead to diabetes. In this sense, sugar may be indirectly responsible for causing diabetes.
However, avoiding sugar can also be dangerous since research shows that people, with low sugar intakes, eat more fat, which can lead to weight gain and thus diabetes. |