Diabetes not triggered by eating too many sweeties

Mon, 14 Jun 2010
Of those questioned in a new survey by the charity Diabetes UK, nearly half thought that having a liking for sugary sweets could give you diabetes . Of more than 2,000 adults talked to, 42 per cent believed in the myth that eating sweets and having diabetes were directly linked. This false belief has also been blamed on an increase in bullying at school for those with the condition, as diabetic schoolkids were being mocked by classmates for bringing on the condition themselves by eating too many sweets.

Simon O’Neill, of Diabetes UK said "These sorts of myths are not helpful and can lead to discrimination and bullying. People with diabetes have a hard enough time living with their condition without being made to feel ashamed or different from their peers."

Although most adults suffer from type 2 diabetes, which can be directly affected by eating habits, most children have type 1 diabetes, which is a condition of the auto-immune system, and is not linked to diet or eating too much sugar.

With more than 2.5 million people in the UK suffering from the metabolic condition, the charity is concerned about the public awareness of diabetes, and also how important it is for diabetics to inject in public, especially as self-medication has to be administered at specific times. However, a quarter of those interviewed objected to diabetics injecting themselves with insulin in public.

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