Diabetes 101 Newly Diagnosed
If you have been newly diagnosed with diabetes you may be getting a lot of advice from healthcare providers, friends, family, and the Internet. Here are some tips to help you separate facts from fiction.
Diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar: fact or fiction?
FICTION: Diabetes is a condition in which your body does not process food properly. This is either due to the body’s inability to use insulin effectively or decreased/absent insulin production. Eating sugar does not cause diabetes, however, eating too much sugar can increase your body weight and your risk for developing diabetes, in particular type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes should monitor their blood glucose levels: fact or fiction?
FACT: Blood glucose testing helps you and your healthcare provider make decisions regarding your treatment. If you are looking for a blood glucose meter that lets you focus on information that’s important to you – then try Bayer’s CONTOUR® blood glucose meter. It has optional features to help you and your healthcare provider identify trouble spots and adjust your insulin dose if needed. Another test, the hemoglobin A1C test, helps determine your average blood glucose levels over the past 2-3 months. Ask your healthcare provider how often you should perform a blood glucose test and an A1C test. According to the American Diabetes Association, blood glucose levels for most non-pregnant adults with diabetes should be:
- 70-130 mg/dl before meals
- Below 180 mg/dl two hours after meals
- Hemoglobin A1C less than 7%
Medications are necessary to manage diabetes: fact or fiction?
FACT and FICTION: Meal planning and physical activity are important to help manage both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Some people with type 2 diabetes are able to manage their diabetes with meal planning and exercise alone, but others may require diabetes pills, insulin, or both. Insulin is necessary if you have type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease and often requires multiple treatment options to help control blood glucose levels. Ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a certified diabetes educator (CDE) to learn more about the various treatment and management options for diabetes.
“As a certified diabetes educator I enjoy helping people separate the facts from the fiction and learn more about their diabetes.” — Missy Mauderer, RN, CDE