Patients Polled on Diabetes Facts
More than a third of Pennsylvania adults believe the myth that eating too much sugar causes diabetes. But they correctly identified other diabetes facts in a Patient Poll conducted by the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Institute for Good Medicine.
The Patient Poll found that 37 percent of Pennsylvania adults believe that eating sugar causes diabetes, which the American Diabetes Association says is a myth. The association says eating too much and not getting enough exercise can lead to obesity, which, in turn, can lead to diabetes.
The Patient Poll also revealed that many Pennsylvanians have the right idea when it comes to diabetes. Those polled overwhelmingly believe that diabetes can affect people of all ages, that some forms of diabetes can be prevented, and diabetes can kill you.
A large percentage also understands that insulin does not cure diabetes. That assumption is correct, according to Margrit Shoemaker, MD, medical director of the Diabetes Center at Susquehanna Health in Williamsport. Insulin is one treatment for diabetes, as are a healthy diet and appropriate exercise. None of these “cure the disease” but help normalize glucose levels and control blood pressure, cholesterol, and other risk factors.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society offers several resources on diabetes on its website for physicians and its My Family Health and Wellness for patients website, including:
For more information on diabetes, you also can visit these websites:
Last Updated: 5/2/2008