Questions & Answers

High levels of glucose in the blood that result from diabetes can damage blood vessels and lead to poor circulation and poor wound healing. It can also damage the nerves all over the body, but particularly in the legs. For example, a diabetic can get a small cut, scratch, or ulcer on their feet (maybe from a poorly fitting shoe). Since their nerves may be affected, they may not feel it, and since they don’t heal well, it can get worse. When the wound gets really bad, on a toe for instance, the only option may be to amputate — or remove the toe — to prevent the infection from spreading. This is why it is so important for diabetics to get their feet checked regularly by their doctors, and get their toenails cut by foot specialists (podiatrists) to decrease the risk of creating a cut or wound during that process. Diabetics should themselves check their feet regularly, as well as have other family members help if they can.

2. Do diabetics have to eat only special dietetic and diabetic foods and avoid sugar altogether?

A healthy meal plan for people with diabetes is the same as that for everyone — low in fat (especially saturated and trans fat) and high in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. The severity of your diabetes will dictate how strict you have to be with your diet. The best thing to do is work out a dietary plan with your doctor and a registered dietician/nutritionist that best suits you and your situation.

3. Why does high blood sugar cause blindness?

The retina is the layer on the back of the eye that captures images and sends them as nerve signals to the brain. Over time, high blood glucose levels from diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina — a condition called diabetic retinopathy — that can eventually lead to blindness. If a person has diabetes, it is critical they get their eyes examined yearly by an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) to monitor for eye damage and prevent blindness.

4. Is it true that diabetics can no longer eat candy, desserts, or other sweets?

In the past, people with diabetes were warned to completely avoid sugar. Experts thought that eating sugar would rapidly increase blood glucose, resulting in levels that were too high. Some people even thought that eating sugar caused diabetes, an idea that we now know isn’t true. If you have diabetes, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat sweets. People with diabetes can eat desserts, use sweeteners, and still keep their blood glucose levels in their target range. Eating a piece of cake made with sugar will raise your blood glucose level. So will eating corn on the cob, a tomato sandwich, or lima beans. If eaten as part of a healthy meal plan and combined with exercise, sweets and desserts can be eaten by people with diabetes, as long as it is done with moderation and approved by your doctor and nutritionist.

5. What is the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease?

Diabetes can damage your blood vessels, including the arteries that supply blood to your brain and heart. This damage makes it easier for fatty deposits (plaques) to form in the arteries that can choke off blood supply and drive up your blood pressure and cause a heart attack. If you have diabetes, you’re two to four times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as someone without diabetes; you’re more likely to die of a heart attack; and your risk of sudden death from a heart attack is the same as that of someone who has already had a heart attack.