Correction: Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the pancreatic islet cells are destroyed by the body's own immune system.
Though we now know that there is a genetic component to Type 1, there is also an environmental element that has yet to be determined.
It is known however that eating sugar has absolutely nothing to do with acquiring the disease.
Myth: Diabetics are overweight so Type 1 Diabetes is curable by weight loss.
Correction: Type 1 Diabetics come in all shapes and sizes. There is no known cure for Type 1 yet.
Myth: Type 1 Diabetics can never eat anything with sugar.
Correction: Type 1 Diabetics can eat anything anyone else eats if they take their insulin before they eat it. Like everyone else, fats and carbohydrates all have to be consumed within reason.
Myth: Type 1 Diabetes is simple to manage, just don't eat sweets.
Correction: This disease is anything but simple. Even if a type 1 never eats another grain of sugar, they still must take insulin several times each day to stay alive. They must prick themselves to get blood for testing levels several times each day. They must calculate every carbohydrate they eat, then calculate the insulin they will need to inject or pump to cover it. And everything from stress to illness to a sunburn changes how much insulin is needed at the time so calculations can never be perfect. Imperfect calculations lead to complications
Complications of this disease are very serious: emotional reactions such as anxiety, aggressive behavior and depression; heart and blood vessel disease causing angina pain, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes; poor blood circulation leading to infections and lower limb amputations; nerve damage leading to painful neuropathy in the limbs and intestinal nerve damage leading to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,constipation, some men experience erectile dysfunction; eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts all of which may lead to blindness; coma and brain damage from low blood sugar levels, kidney damage, other autoimmune diseases such as Celiac Disease and Hasimoto's Thyroiditis, Hearing problems, Skin and mouth fungal and bacterial infection suceptability including gum disease, osteoporosis; pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, miscarriage, still birth, and birth defects and higher risk of ketoacidosis and diabetic retinopathy during pregnancy; and sudden death.
Myth: Even Type 1 Diabetics can take a few days off from treatment.
Corrections: Taking a few days off of insulin can put a type 1 into a coma or even kill them.