How much do you know about Type 2 diabetes? Try this test

November is National Diabetes Month. This is a time to raise awareness and dispel myths about this condition that affects 19 million people in the U.S. The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes where the body doesn’t use insulin properly, causing the blood glucose to rise above normal levels.

Check what you know about Type 2 diabetes:

True or False: Only overweight or obese people can get diabetes.

False. Diabetes’ main risk factors are age, family history, and ethnicity. While being overweight or obese adds to the risk for developing diabetes, this is just one piece of the overall risk picture. Getting body weight closer to normal range is especially valuable so as not to further increase risk of diabetes.

True or False: I have “borderline” diabetes so I don’t need to worry.

False. Any elevation in blood glucose levels above normal can be harmful to the body. You may have high blood glucose readings that are not quite high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetes.

This condition is called pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes cannot be ignored. It is a red flag for immediate action to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. The most important steps to take with pre-diabetes are losing weight if needed, exercise and eating better.

True or False: People with diabetes can’t eat sugar.

False. This myth does not seem to want to die. Decades ago when diabetes treatments were still evolving, people were told that they couldn’t eat sugar. Now with more knowledge of nutrition and diabetes we know that modest amounts of sugar can still be a part of healthy meal plan.

Even for people without diabetes, limited sugar intake is recommended for overall good health. Consider eating significantly less sugary foods like candies, cookies, cakes, pastry, sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages (sweet tea, flavored coffees). These only provide extra calories and prevent our bodies from functioning well.

True or False: If people with diabetes want to eat something sweet they should pick “sugar free” or “no sugar added” products.

Mostly false. People make the mistake of thinking “sugar-free” translates to a “free” food. Sugar-free products replace sugar with sugar alcohol, which does reduce the amount of actual sugar in the food. But sugar alcohol does not make food carbohydrate free (or calorie free!). Carbohydrate intake is important to monitor when you have diabetes. In addition, sugar-free products tend to be more expensive than their regularly sweetened counterparts, can have a laxative effect if eaten in excess, and may be much higher in fat to make them taste reasonable.

Meet with a certified diabetes educator to learn the facts about diabetes.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 11:02 AM with the headline "How much do you know about Type 2 diabetes? Try this test."