Gabby Cinnamon (Host): With access to so much information, it can be challenging to know which voices to listen to. In the age of WebMD, or as some of us like to call it, Dr. Google, there is conflicting health information everywhere you turn, especially when it comes to complex medical conditions like diabetes.

Joining us today to debunk some of the most common diabetes myths is Julie Allen, a Certified Diabetes Education Specialist at the Riverside Diabetes Wellness Center.

Intro: Riverside Healthcare puts the health and wellness information you need well within reach.

Host: Welcome back to the Well Within Reach podcast brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Gabby Cinnamon. And as mentioned, I am joined by Julie Allen, a certified diabetes education specialist at the Riverside Diabetes Wellness Center to talk about diabetes myths. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast again today, Julie.

Julie Allen: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

Host: So, you've done a podcast with us before, but can you remind us who you are and everything that you do with the Diabetes Center?

Julie Allen: Yes. My name is Julie Allen. I'm a registered dietitian and I specialize in diabetes, which means I'm a certified care and education specialist for diabetes. So basically, we help people get on track with their blood sugars and hopefully toward the path to better health.

Host: Perfect. So, you are just the person that we need to be talking to, to debunk some of the most common diabetes myths. So basically, how this is going to work, I'll name off a fact or a falsity about diabetes, and then we'll have you let us know if it's true or false. So, our first one is "Diabetics should avoid sugar at all costs." Is that true or false?

Julie Allen: Absolutely false. This is a common myth and this is the misconception that most people that come into our education program, they have this thing about sugar being the evil devil and can only be bad for you. But it truly is moderation. Consuming real sugar is not a bad thing as long as we don't consume too much of it where it affects our glucose levels and causes them to go too high.

Host: Right. And even some diabetics I know can have problems with blood sugar getting too low. So in some cases, it can even be helpful if that happens to you, of course.

Julie Allen: That is true. In fact, when we teach how to correctly and properly treat hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, the first thing I want my patients going to is a fast source of sugar, fruit juice, regular soda. That's the only time we want our patients consuming those types of things, is when they're low because that is an appropriate time for them to get their blood sugar up quickly.

Host: Good. I think we're all glad that this one is a myth because, you know, you can still enjoy those desserts and those things you like in moderation, of course, like you said.

Julie Allen: Absolutely.

Host: So, our next myth or fact is "Diabetes can always be prevented."

Julie Allen: I would say when we're talking about the different types of diabetes, if we're talking about type 2 diabetes, which is the predominant type of diabetes that 90% of the people with diabetes have, a good part of it can be prevented because it's more related to our lifestyle and our habits. Type 1, however, that person has no control as to whether they get type 1 or not.

Host: Right. And two, can you talk a little bit about-- you know, I know I've had family members where they'll get blood work and their blood sugar is a little bit high and the doctor is like, "Hey, you know what? We need to keep an eye on this"? In that case, then that can be prevented from becoming diabetes. At that point, the person doesn't have it, but it can turn into it.

Julie Allen: Correct. We are all about prevention, number one, but we're also all about identifying a person when they hit the precursor to diabetes, which is called pre-diabetes. In the past, it might have been known as borderline diabetes. We really don't use that term anymore. There is an actual diagnosis of pre-diabetes when blood sugars or the A1c blood test, which is a three-month average blood sugar test, when it reaches a certain point, we call it pre-diabetes and that is where we need to do some intervention. Change some habits, eat a little better, move a little more to bring those blood sugar levels overall back down. And that's reversible. Pre-diabetes is reversible.

Host: That's definitely good to know. Our next myth or fact is "Since no one in my family has diabetes, I cannot get diabetes."

Julie Allen: That's completely false. Nobody knows when they're going to possibly get diabetes. However, there are risk factors. Having a family history, that's one risk factor. If we're worried about type 2 diabetes; if we're not active, you know, too much inactivity; if we have a certain waist circumference beyond a certain inch level, that's a risk factor. Smoking, that's always a risk factor for anything. So, there are risk factors to be aware of. And if we find ourself at high risk, we can definitely change some of those habits.

Host: Oh yeah. For sure, for sure. Our next one is "Sugary drinks cause diabetes."

Julie Allen: They don't cause diabetes. They don't help it, though, either. So, another big myth is that sugar causes diabetes. That's not true. However, when we look at physiology, human physiology says that the more added sugar we consume over time, could that cause health problems? It could. So, we always advise our patients if they come to us drinking a six-pack of regular soda a day, we have to start weaning them down because that's only spiking their blood sugar. And if they're slowly drinking regular soda all day long or any of these other sugary drinks, your energy drinks, even fruit juice. Don't be fooled. Fruit juice is a concentrated source of carbohydrate, even if it's 100% juice and no added sugar. So, do sugary drinks cause diabetes? No, but we want to monitor our intake because they're not healthy either.

Host: Yeah. And I think too now it's good that there are healthier, I'd say in quotes, kind of sugar alternatives, Stevia, and monk fruit is another one that people are into. So at least, if occasionally, I'm like, "I don't really want to drink water right now." There's like the little stir things that you can put into your drinks to, you know, spice things up a little bit. So, there are alternatives, which is nice.

Julie Allen: There are options and we always present those options to our patients. And bottom line is pick the one that tastes best to you.

Host: Yes. Yes.

Julie Allen: And monitor that. And even if it does have some carbohydrate, we want to monitor how much and how often we are consuming it.

Host: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Our next one is "Only people with severe diabetes need to take insulin."

Julie Allen: When the pancreas basically wears out, meaning it's no longer able to produce insulin, then we are kind of forced to use another alternative, which is insulin pens or an insulin pump. So, I don't like the term severe because I don't want people being afraid of insulin. In fact, sometimes it's actually a better idea to start insulin a little earlier than people might want when we know that that's what they need. And it all is based on their good old pancreas. When those little cells inside that pancreas can no longer produce insulin, they won't be able to live without another source.

Host: Right. I think there is, like you said, a lot of negativity surrounding taking insulin. And it could be the best option for you at the point that you're at in your journey. And so, how can you make that work with your life?

Julie Allen: And there should not be feeling of failure. If we have to go to insulin as our intervention, it is the best thing to get those sugars under control. And if a patient asks, "Well, how do I know when my pancreas is pooped out basically?" There is a blood test called a C-peptide blood test that will show us how much insulin is still coming out of that organ.

Host: Yeah, yeah. Before we get into the next question, I want to take a quick commercial break to talk about the Riverside Diabetes Wellness Center.

No matter if you have pre-diabetes or type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes, you'll find support and encouragement you need at the Riverside Diabetes Wellness Center. Recognized by the American Diabetes Association, the center offers a unique program focused exclusively on helping you prevent or manage diabetes. If you have a diabetes diagnosis, talk with your doctor to see how the Riverside Diabetes Wellness Center can support you and your diabetes journey.

Now, back with Julie. Our next myth that you will debunk, or fact you will let us know about, "Diabetes only affects people with obesity." Is that true or false?

Julie Allen: That is false. Obesity definitely is a risk factor for type 2, but when we talk about type 1 diabetes, many of those patients are very thin coming in, they have lost a lot of weight prior to that diagnosis. But in terms of type 2, it is a risk factor, but it's not a destiny, so to speak. We don't want our people thinking that they are destined to become diabetic because of their weight. However, it is always something to work on to maintain good health.

Host: Yeah. And I think obesity, that would lead people to think that, because I think obesity overall, like you talked about, there are a lot of risk factors that are connected. You mentioned smoking, high cholesterol, other things that are connected. And so, I think I can understand how people might reach that conclusion.

Julie Allen: Absolutely.

Host: Our next one, "Eating too much sugar is the only factor that can lead to diabetes." True or false?

Julie Allen: That is absolutely false. If that were true, I would've had diabetes a long time ago. I am a dietician, but as a younger person, I did consume a lot of high sugar products. But I also maintained a very high level of activity, and I think that actually helped me in the long run.

Host: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Our next myth or fact, "There are several types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, gestational and prediabetes."

Julie Allen: That is correct. And you want to actually know what your blood sugar levels are to determine if you fall into any one of those categories. And we teach all of those different types of diabetes to our patients.

Host: And one thing too is, I think we might have talked about the last time you were here. With gestational diabetes, if you have that, so when you're pregnant, you have diabetes, that can make you more at risk to develop type 2 later on.

Julie Allen: That is absolutely correct. That is a risk factor in developing type 2 as that mother ages. So, we want to change behaviors during pregnancy if they were not so good leading into that pregnancy. And then, planning pregnancy and making sure blood sugars are well controlled if we plan on having future pregnancies after having gestational diabetes.

Host: Our final myth or fact, "Diabetes is a serious condition, but with proper medication and lifestyle changes, it is often manageable."

Julie Allen: That is absolutely fact and we do our best, our team at the Diabetes Center does their very best to send that message home with our patients. The diagnosis is not a death sentence. It is now a manageable disease because we know so much more about it. And the medications that we have available to us, our knowledge of how food affects blood sugar is so much better now than in years past. So, education is key.

Host: Right. And I think that is a very positive one to end on because overall, like you said, it used to be if someone found out they had diabetes, you know, not that there's still not concern, of course, with any condition there's concern, but things are a lot brighter, a lot more positive outlook because of the things you've mentioned. Medicine has come so far, even in the last 10 years of treating people and getting them what they need to be able to live the life they want to live with this condition.

Julie Allen: Absolutely. Knowledge is power.

Host: Yes. Before we go, do you have any final thoughts or words of wisdom for those seeking more information about their diabetes diagnosis?

Julie Allen: So, you mentioned early on about WebMD and Dr. Google. We just say use caution. We don't mind internet searches. In fact, we encourage our patients to do research about their own medical conditions. But to go to credible websites, such as medically-based websites, university-based websites that will give you the most up-to-date and solid information as far as truth.

Host: Right. And talk with your doctor, talk with you guys at the Diabetes Wellness Center. You guys are wonderful people. Thank you. You really do wonderful work helping the community so much. So, you guys are an amazing resource.

Julie Allen: Thank you so much. I do believe our outcomes are very good. People that come and get educated about their diabetes we believe have very good outcomes when they use the tools that we give them.

Host: Perfect. Perfect. Well, thank you so much, Julie, for coming on the podcast today. And thank you listeners for tuning in to Well Within Reach, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. Make sure to rate and leave a review of our podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to the show. For more information about the Diabetes Wellness Center, visit riversidehealthcare.org.