What is your Diabetes Knowledge?

What’s your diabetes knowledge?

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Glucose is found in blood only.
2. Insulin is a hormone normally released into the blood after eating.
3. Type 1 diabetes is a lifestyle disease.
4. In type 2 diabetes, the body may stop responding to insulin properly.
5. Being overweight does not increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
6. You can develop type 2 diabetes without experiencing obvious symptoms.
7. Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
8. People with diabetes should avoid sugary food and drink.
9. Type 2 diabetes always requires medication.
10. Gestational diabetes goes away after pregnancy.

Answers

1. Glucose is a sugar obtained from food and drink and used by the body for energy.
2. Insulin helps to move glucose from the food and drink we consume into cells for use as energy.
3. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which pancreatic cells do not make insulin because they’ve been destroyed by the immune system. However, a healthful lifestyle is important in managing type 1 diabetes.
4. Type 2 diabetes may be diagnosed if pancreatic cells do not make enough insulin (reduced insulin production), and/or the insulin doesn’t work well, and/or the body does not respond to insulin properly (insulin resistance).
5. Type 2 diabetes risk increases with overweight, obesity, and other lifestyle factors, including high blood pressure, insufficient physical activity and poor diet.
6. A person can gradually develop type 2 diabetes symptoms, many of which are subtle, including increased thirst, hunger or urination, fatigue, blurred vision, and poor wound healing.
7. Type 2 diabetes can change chemical substances in the blood, resulting in narrowed or clogged blood vessels and, ultimately, cardiovascular disease.
8. Although sugar can raise blood glucose levels, it can be consumed in moderation as part of a diabetes management plan.
9. In some cases, people with type 2 diabetes can manage blood glucose levels without medication, but rather, by losing excess weight, exercising regularly and managing their diet, for example.
10. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy and usually goes away afterward. However, it can increase a woman’s risk of future type 2 diabetes.