Type 2 Diabetes

7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Myth: Eating sugar causes type 2 diabetes.

This is a common misconception because diabetes affects blood sugar levels. Diabetes results from a metabolic dysfunction in the way your body produces or handles the hormone insulin. While eating too much sugar contributes to obesity (a risk factor for diabetes), it doesn't cause diabetes. 

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7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Fact: A genetic history of diabetes in my family raises my risk.

Diabetes has a genetic component, but genes play a small part in diabetes. You can control whether the disease develops with diet, exercise and other lifestyle choices.

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7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Fact: Being overweight or obese raises diabetes risk.

Carrying excess weight, particularly in the stomach or abdomen area (apple shape), increases insulin resistance, a step on the way to diabetes.

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7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Fact: Lack of sleep raises your diabetes risk.

Not sleeping enough decreases your body's production of the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar.

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7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Myth: Diabetes isn't that serious.

Having type 2 diabetes raises your risk of many serious conditions, including heart disease and vision loss, especially if you don't keep glucose levels under control. 

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7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Myth (sort of): Stress can lead to diabetes.

Stress isn't a known cause of diabetes, but stress can elevate blood glucose levels, contributing to insulin resistance. Stress can also lead to overeating and lack of exercise.

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7 Diabetes Myths and Facts

Myth: Diabetes comes out of the blue.

You can get a good sense of how likely you are to develop diabetes by taking a diabetes assessment. 

Diabetes in America

Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes; roughly 70,000 Americans die from it every year. Meet the Sharecare Online Influencers in Diabetes and learn their tips for living with this disease.

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Diabetes on the Rise

Some experts predict that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050. Take our Diabetes Awareness quiz to learn how to reduce your risk or avoid health complications with diabetes.

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Diabetes and Your Wallet

Diabetes is expensive. In fact, the cost of caring for someone with diabetes is $1 out of every $5 in total health care costs. The American Diabetes Association can offer support and information on educational groups, health care, insurance and referrals.

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What’s Your Risk?

Currently, 8 percent of Americans have diabetes, and 24 percent—that’s 79 million Americans—are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Making simple lifestyle changes such as walking, changing your diet and taking certain supplements can reduce your risk for diabetes. Find out what Dr. Oz and other experts suggest to prevent diabetes.

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Diabetes Smarts

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Aggressively managing your diabetes is important for staying healthy. Test your knowledge of diabetes basics with our quiz.