Understanding Misconceptions about High Blood Sugar: A Scientific Explanation of the Relationship Between Blood Sugar and Diabetes

Common Misconceptions about High Blood Sugar:
High blood sugar is the same as diabetes.
Diabetes refers to fasting blood sugar levels being higher than normal. Generally, normal blood sugar is around 6: however, you cannot diagnose diabetes based on a single fasting blood sugar reading above normal. However, if multiple fasting blood sugar tests show levels consistently above normal, then it is likely diabetes.

Diabetes only requires lowering blood sugar.
Treating diabetes is not as simple as just lowering blood sugar. Preventing complications through blood sugar control has prerequisites: blood sugar must be consistently and stably controlled between 3.9 and 6.1 mmol/L fasting and between 4.4 and 8.0 mmol/L two hours after meals to achieve preventative effects. However, blood sugar inevitably fluctuates; diet, medication, emotions, exercise, seasons, and climate all cause blood sugar fluctuations. During these fluctuations, once blood sugar levels exceed the safe range, they can damage the vascular, nervous, metabolic, and immune systems. When this damage accumulates to a certain extent, it can lead to a full-blown outbreak of complications.

The correct approach is: to control blood sugar as much as possible and minimize the damage caused by high blood sugar to various systems. Protect the vascular and nervous systems and eliminate the harm caused by high blood sugar at all times.

Can diabetics absolutely not eat fruit?
Generally, diabetic patients should not eat fruit when their condition is not controlled and both blood sugar and urine sugar levels are high. Patients with severe diabetes should also avoid fruit. However, patients with mild diabetes and those with stable conditions can eat small amounts of fruit. There are three suitable times to eat fruit: when hungry before meals; when physical activity increases; and when using large amounts of insulin for ketoacidosis.

Suitable fruits should be fresh fruits with less sugar and more vitamins and dietary fiber, such as oranges, pineapples, pears, apples, and grapes. Fruits with high sugar content, such as dates, hawthorn, and bananas, are best avoided. Melons, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon, do not have very high sugar content, but people often eat large quantities, so the total sugar intake is still significant.

The amount of fruit consumed at one time should not be excessive. Generally, the amount should be less than 50 grams. For example, one apple can be divided into four pieces, and only one small piece should be eaten at a time. The amount of fruit consumed should not exceed 150 grams. If you wish to eat a larger quantity of fruit, it should be consumed in portions, and the amount of staple food should be reduced accordingly. For example, 200-250 grams of oranges or apples, or 500 grams of watermelon or cantaloupe, should be accompanied by a reduction of about 25 grams of staple food.

During fruit consumption, the patient's condition and changes in urine sugar and blood sugar levels should be closely monitored. If symptoms worsen, blood sugar rises, or urine sugar increases after eating fruit, the amount of fruit consumed should be reduced or stopped altogether.

Medical research has shown that diabetes has a significant genetic predisposition, with type 2 diabetes having a higher genetic component than type 1 diabetes. If one parent has type 1 diabetes, the risk of their child developing diabetes increases by about 5%; if both parents have type 1 diabetes, the risk increases to 30%. If one parent has type 2 diabetes, the risk of their child developing diabetes increases by about 15%; if both parents have type 2 diabetes, the risk increases to 75%. If one of identical twins has type 1 diabetes, the risk for the other twin increases by 30%; if it is type 2 diabetes, the risk increases by 50% to 100%. With the development of molecular biology and the maturity of gene diagnostic techniques, several gene loci closely related to diabetes have been identified. Screening for these genes in individuals with a family history of diabetes can help detect early-stage diabetes.