What to know—and what to forget—about diabetes
From who is at risk to how to control it, here are seven common misperceptions about type 2 diabetes.
1 of 8
Slide 1
Type 2 diabetes is a condition which, if not properly managed, can lead to serious health problems that can affect your longevity and quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one out of 10 people in the United States has diabetes, 90 to 95 percent of which have type 2 diabetes.
Sometimes blood sugar levels are too high, but not quite high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. This condition is called prediabetes, and it raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions. More than one in three people in the United States has prediabetes, though the vast majority—about 80 percent—have not yet been diagnosed.
Despite the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes, however, misconceptions about who gets it, what causes it, and effective ways to manage it persist. Here are common misconceptions about type 2 diabetes and the facts you need to help protect your health.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Type 2 Diabetes. Page accessed September 8 + 15
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Type 2 Diabetes. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prediabetes – Your Chance to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BMI Frequently Asked Questions. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
- Harvard Health. Taking aim at belly fat. March 26, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes Risk Factors. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
- Zhu Y, Sidell MA, Arterburn D, et al. Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes by BMI: Patient Outcomes Research To Advance Learning (PORTAL) Multisite Cohort of Adults in the U.S. Diabetes Care. 2019 Dec;42(12):2211-2219.
- Cleveland Clinic. Visceral Fat. Page last reviewed September 12, 2022.
- Castro, Regina. “Diabetes diet: Should I avoid sweet fruits?” Mayo Clinic. August 31, 2022.
- Cleveland Clinic. Insulin. Page last reviewed January 17, 2024.
- American Diabetes Association. How Type 2 Diabetes Progresses. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
- Harvard Health. The sweet danger of sugar. January 6, 2022.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Sugary Drinks. Page last reviewed August 2023.
- Drouin-Chartier JP, Zheng Y, Li Y, et al. Changes in Consumption of Sugary Beverages and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Results From Three Large Prospective U.S. Cohorts of Women and Men. Diabetes Care. 2019 Dec;42(12):2181-2189.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report. Page last reviewed November 29, 2023.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Put the Brakes on Diabetes Complications. Page accessed September 8, 2024.
Recommended for you
How can I be more consistent?