Debunking Common Diabetes Myths
Receiving a diabetes or prediabetes diagnosis often brings up fear, grief, confusion, and shame. Much of what people hear about diabetes is shaped by diet culture, oversimplified messaging, and blame-based narratives.
This post gently challenges some of the most common diabetes myths and offers a more compassionate, evidence-based way of understanding your body and your health.
“I caused this.”
This is one of the most common and painful beliefs we hear.
It makes sense that this thought comes up. Chronic illness can disrupt an already complicated relationship with the body. You are allowed to feel sad, hurt, angry, or disappointed.
But diabetes is not a personal failure.
Genetics play a significant role in the development of diabetes, and many contributing factors are outside of your control. Two people can have very similar movement habits, food patterns, and stress levels, and one may develop Type 2 diabetes while the other does not.
What if your body has been doing the best it can with the information, tools, and circumstances it has had? What if this is not about fault at all, but about physiology, environment, and survival?
“My body is automatically unhealthy or broken if I have diabetes.”
We want to invite a thought to this space. Your body is the one thing that has been with you for every moment of your life. Its job is not to meet external standards of health, but to keep you alive, adapting, and protected.
A diabetes diagnosis does not mean your body has failed. It means your body is responding to complex internal and external demands. Offering compassion to your body can be a meaningful part of care.
“This disease will definitely progress.”
Not necessarily. While diabetes can be a progressive condition for some people, progression is not guaranteed. Many individuals live full and meaningful lives with stable diabetes management.
There is no single trajectory. Bodies change. Life circumstances change. Care approaches evolve. A diagnosis does not define your future.
“Dieting is the only way I can manage diabetes.”
This is one of the most harmful myths we see.
Dieting and food restriction increase stress hormones like cortisol. Elevated cortisol can worsen blood sugar control and raise A1C levels. For people with diabetes, restriction can also increase the risk of low blood sugar, which can be dangerous.
Malnutrition is not treatment.
Supportive diabetes care often focuses on:
Eating consistently and adequately
Reducing stress when possible
Moving in ways that feel supportive and sustainable
Hydration
Building routines that support nervous system regulation
This approach prioritizes nourishment and safety rather than control or perfection.
“Sugar intake causes diabetes.”
Sugar does not cause diabetes. Diabetes is a multifactorial condition influenced by genetics, insulin sensitivity, hormones, stress, sleep, medications, and other factors. Rigid carbohydrate restriction can actually worsen blood sugar control by increasing stress hormones and disrupting metabolic regulation. No single food or nutrient causes or prevents diabetes.
“I can’t eat this because it’s too high on the glycemic index.”
The Glycemic Index, or GI, is often misunderstood.
GI measures how a carbohydrate affects blood sugar when eaten alone in a controlled setting. In real life, foods are rarely eaten in isolation.
Most meals include a combination of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, all of which influence blood sugar response. Individual factors such as insulin sensitivity, metabolic rate, medications, gut health, and stress also play a role.
Foods with similar GI values can be nutritionally very different. For instance, ice cream and brown rice may have similar GI values, but they are nutritionally distinct. GI can be one piece of information, but it is not a rulebook and it is not a moral measure of food quality.
“I have prediabetes, so ultimately, I’m going to get diabetes.”
Not necessarily.
Prediabetes is often framed as an inevitable path to Type 2 diabetes, but the reality is more nuanced. Diagnostic thresholds have changed over time, leading to a significant increase in prediabetes diagnoses.
A large proportion of individuals diagnosed with prediabetes do not progress to Type 2 diabetes. For some people, screening can be helpful as an early alert. For others, it creates unnecessary fear. A prediabetes diagnosis does not mean you are unsafe or failing, and it does not guarantee future disease.
Diabetes care is not one-size-fits-all.
Some people focus on behavioral changes. Some use medications. Many use a combination. None of these choices are moral decisions. Your treatment is always your choice. If you would like support navigating diabetes or prediabetes with a compassionate, weight-inclusive approach, our team of dietitians at CV Wellbeing is here to help. Reach out to us today to learn more about working together.