Is Sugar Bad For Diabetes?

Is Sugar Bad For Diabetes?

Despite resent advances in diabetes research, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about the disease. Let's examine some of the more familiar ones.

Sugar causes diabetes. False. It's easy to blame sugar for diabetes. After all, the disease is characterized by high blood sugar levels. But avoiding refined sugar won't protect you from diabetes since eating rice, bread and potatoes can produce the same effect.

The real problem, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), is not the presence of sugar but the body's inability to use it.

The body normally converts all kinds of sugar to glucose. As blood glucose levels rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to carry glucose to body cells or store it until it is needed.

For some reason, diabetics don't produce enough insulin to metabolize sugar or their bodies are unable to use insulin in the right way. Because of this defect, their blood sugar can rise to dangerous levels when they take any form of carbohydrates - not just refined sugar.

"You don't become diabetic because you're a sugar freak. True, there's too much in your blood but the root problem lies with insulin, the hormone that converts sugar into usable energy," explained Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld of the New York Hospital in "Doctor, What Should I Eat?"

Diabetics must avoid sugar. False. Doctors once believed that simple carbohydrates like glucose, sucrose and dextrose would raise blood sugar levels faster than the sugars found in complex carbohydrates like bread and beans. Owing to this glycemic factor, diabetics were told to avoid simple sugars found in chocolates and other sweets. The only exception was fructose or fruit sugar which was believed to elevate blood sugar levels less than dextrose or glucose.

These traditional guidelines have been changed by the ADA after studies showed that the glycemic factor didn't really matter. The ADA said what counts is the total carbohydrate content of the diet and not the type of carbohydrates consumed.

Following this rule, diabetics should watch out for starches, not sugar. They can take sugar but shouldn't combine this with other carbohydrates or starches since this would increase their overall carbohydrate consumption.

"The ADA says people with diabetes can eat modest amounts of sugar as long as it's part of a balanced meal that includes some protein and fat. The sugary foods should be substituted for other carbohydrates, not simply added to the meal," wrote dietitian Janis Jibrin in American Health magazine.

Honey and fruit sugar are better for diabetics than refined or table sugar. False. All carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are converted by the body into a simple sugar called glucose. So it really doesn't matter where they come from.

You might spend more in buying honey than in using table sugar but your body won't know the difference. Both these sugars, including those found in complex carbohydrates like rice or beans, can raise your blood sugar level if you don't watch your diet. (Next: How to live longer with diabetes.)