Diabetes FAQ

So — what is Diabetes, anyway?

Well, the first point to make is that there are several forms of diabetes, but they all have the common symptom of wanting to wee a lot.

What is this "Diabetes Mellitus" that this site mentions a lot? How is it different from ordinary diabetes?

When most people say "diabetes" they normally mean Diabetes Mellitus, where you have sweet sticky urine because there is too much sugar in it; and this is because your body cannot control the level of sugar in your blood. Common variants of Diabetes Mellitus are Type 1, Type 2, Pre-Diabetes, Gestational Diabates. So "ordinary diabetes" is normally one of those.

There is also Diabetes Insipidus, which is not a form of diabetes mellitus, and doesn't have anything to do with sugar in blood or urine.

Sweet sticky urine? That doesn't so too bad!

Don't be fooled – that extra sugar can cause all sorts of complications, and you must manage it carefully, and make sure you speak to a healthcare professional about it.

So Diabetes is serious then?

Yes it is – if you don't treat it or manage it properly, the high blood sugar level will damage your blood vessels and cause all sorts of serious complications including heart disease, strokes, kidney failure. But if you do treat your diabetes and manage it properly (and that is a fairly straightforward thing to do) then you should see other areas of your life relatively unchanged.

So I'd better lay off the sugar so I don't get diabetes?

Hmm, well, in a way I suppose, but eating lots of sugar does not really make you develop diabetes in the sense you mean. Eating too much sugar or sugary foods does not directly cause diabetes, but by eating them you become overweight, and then you are increasing your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes. But if someone develops diabetes that is not simply because they ate too much sugar for any extended period of time. Also, it is a myth that diabetics must stop eating sugar or sugary foods -- as long as you manage your diet and monitor your blood sugar levels you will be fine.

So how do you catch diabetes?

You don't "catch" diabetes like you catch a cold or the measles from someone else. Instead what happens is that changes in your body cause you to develop diabetes; but it certainly is not contagious.

But my grandfather had diabetes, and so did my father!

Okay, but your father did not catch diabetes from your grandfather; instead, your father was more predisposed genetically towards developing it – in other words, it could have been in his genes. But the fact that your father had diabetes does not necessarily mean that you will develop it, just as your father was not automatically going to develop diabetes just because your grandfather had it. However you are more likely to develop diabetes if a close family member has it.