This Saturday, November 14, is the World Day of Diabetes. In an interview with Lifestyle to MInuto, endocrinologist João Sérgio Neves clarified some of the myths most associated with this disease. Does it only affect the older ones? And candy can never be ingested?
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14/11/2026
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O World Diabetes Day is scheduled this Saturday, November 14. It is a common disease, but often wrapped in some myths that must be clarified. Does it just affect older people? And do candy and sugar really have to be disposed of?
João Sérgio Neves is an endocrinologist at the Hospital de São João and a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, in the areas of Physiology, Physiology and Endocrinology. In an interview with Lifestyle to Minute spoke clarified some of the myths that most associate with this condition.,
Sugar is often mentioned with an enemy, but does type 2 diabetes only appear due to a food rich in sweets? “Sugar contributes mainly to excess calories and weight gain, but it is not the direct cause.”
On the other hand, someone with diabetes is not deprived of sugar. “An occasional sweet, in small portions and at the end of a balanced meal, fits in a healthy food plan,” says the specialist João Sérgio Neves.
Diabetes. 7 Myths Undone
Myth 1- Type 2 diabetes appears because you eat too much sugar
The explanation: Type 2 diabetes results from the combination of genetic predisposition with excess weight, sedentary lifestyle and unbalanced diet as a whole. Sugar contributes mainly to excess calories and weight gain, but it is not the direct cause.
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Myth 2- Type 2 diabetes is a disease of older people
The explanation: It is more frequent after the age of 40, but it appears increasingly in young adults and even in adolescents, following the increase in obesity.
Myth 3– Type 2 diabetes is just a matter of blood sugar
The explanation: It is a disease that affects the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves, and cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in these people. Therefore, treatment includes control of blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, and today there are medicines that protect the heart and kidneys beyond lowering glucose.
Myth 4- Those with diabetes cannot eat sugar or sweets
The explanation: There is no forbidden food; they count the quantity, frequency and context, and an occasional sweet, in small portions and at the end of a balanced meal, fits in a healthy diet.
Myth 5- Those with diabetes cannot practice sports
The explanation: Exercise is part of the treatment, improves insulin sensitivity, helps to control weight and reduces cardiovascular risk. Patients who make insulin or some tablets should adjust their medication and monitor their blood glucose to avoid hypoglycaemia (low sugars), but can practice any sport, including competition.
Myth 6- If my family doesn't have diabetes, I never will
The explanation: Family history increases the risk, but many people develop diabetes without cases in the family; overweight, sedentary lifestyle and age also count, and so screening is important for everyone.
Myth 7 - No difference between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
The explanation: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin producing cells, often occurs in childhood or youth and needs insulin from diagnosis. Type 2 diabetes mainly results from insulin resistance associated with overweight and sedentary lifestyle, and in most cases does not require insulin at the initial stage of the disease.