My father had Type 2 diabetes.
He died of cardiac arrest in 2006. I was in my late teens. And for a long time — honestly, for years — I didn't fully understand the connection between those two things. The diabetes and the heart attack. I just knew he was gone.
It was only later, reading and researching on my own, that the picture became clear. The diabetes was quietly damaging his blood vessels, his heart, his entire cardiovascular system — while the myths and misconceptions around the disease made it harder for our family to fully grasp what we were dealing with.
"Diabetes lang 'yan, hindi naman malala."
I've heard that sentence more times than I can count. And it's one of the most dangerous things a Filipino family can believe.
This post is for every Filipino who has a parent, a sibling, a relative, or themselves living with diabetes — and who has been told something about the disease that isn't quite true. Because wrong information doesn't just confuse people. Sometimes it costs lives.
Can diabetes kill you? Yes — not directly, but through its complications. Heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, and nerve damage are all linked to uncontrolled diabetes. My father's cardiac arrest was connected to his diabetes. This is not rare. It is the leading cause of death among diabetics worldwide.
Myth 1: "Diabetes Is Caused By Eating Too Much Sugar"
This is the most common myth in the Philippines — and it's only partly true.
Eating too much sugar doesn't directly cause diabetes. What it does is contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance over time — which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes. But diabetes is more complex than that. Genetics play a significant role. So do stress, physical inactivity, sleep quality, gut health, and overall lifestyle.
My father wasn't someone who ate unusually large amounts of sweets. But he had the genetic predisposition, the lifestyle factors, and the era — a time when nobody was talking about processed food risks or blood sugar management the way we are now.
The danger of this myth: it makes people think that as long as they avoid obvious sugar — candy, softdrinks, cakes — they're safe. They're not. Refined carbohydrates like white rice, instant noodles, and white bread spike blood sugar just as significantly. And Filipinos eat white rice three times a day.
Myth 2: "People With Diabetes Can't Eat Rice"
This one causes a lot of unnecessary fear — and a lot of Filipino diabetics quietly ignore their diet advice because giving up rice feels impossible.
The truth: people with diabetes don't have to eliminate rice entirely. What matters is portion size, frequency, and what else is on the plate alongside it. Brown rice has more fiber and causes a slower blood sugar rise than white rice. Eating rice with vegetables, protein, and healthy fats slows absorption further.
The goal is not elimination. It's management. A small serving of rice with a balanced meal is very different from three cups of plain white rice with just dried fish.
Talk to a registered nutritionist-dietitian — not just Google — for a meal plan that works for your actual life. Because "no more rice forever" is a myth that just makes people give up on managing their diabetes entirely.
Myth 3: "Only Fat People Get Diabetes"
Weight is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes — but it is not the only one.
Slim Filipinos get diabetes. Young Filipinos get diabetes. Active Filipinos get diabetes. Experts estimate at least 13 million Filipinos are affected by various stages of chronic conditions connected to diet — and many don't know it because early stages have almost no symptoms.
The risk factors beyond weight include: family history, age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, and poor sleep. Any combination of these — even without obesity — can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
The danger of this myth: people who aren't overweight assume they're not at risk and never get tested. By the time symptoms appear, significant damage may already be done.
Myth 4: "Diabetes Isn't That Serious"
"Marami namang may diabetes. Okay naman sila."
This one is the one that concerns me most. Because it's the one that allows people to be careless.
Uncontrolled diabetes damages blood vessels and nerves throughout the entire body. The complications include: heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, blindness from diabetic retinopathy, nerve damage that can lead to amputation, and increased vulnerability to infection.
My father's diabetes led to his cardiac arrest. Diabetics are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease than people without diabetes. That connection is well established, well documented, and still not well understood by most Filipino families.
The people who are "okay naman" with diabetes are the ones managing it carefully — monitoring their blood sugar, taking their medication, watching their food, staying active. The disease doesn't look dangerous until it becomes an emergency. And sometimes that emergency is the last one.
Myth 5: "Insulin Means You Failed"
This one breaks my heart a little because I've seen it make people resist getting the treatment they need.
In Filipino culture, needing insulin is sometimes seen as a sign that the person "didn't try hard enough" — that if they had just eaten better or exercised more, they wouldn't have gotten to that point.
That is not how Type 2 diabetes works.
For many people, the disease progresses despite their best efforts — because of genetics, because the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce enough insulin, because diabetes is a chronic progressive condition and not a personal failure. Insulin is a medical tool. Starting it doesn't mean giving up. It means getting your blood sugar under control so your organs can stop being damaged.
For people with Type 1 diabetes, insulin is not a last resort — it is survival. Their immune system destroyed the cells that produce insulin. Without injections, they would die. There is no "trying harder" that fixes Type 1.
Myth 6: "Natural Remedies Can Cure Diabetes"
Ampalaya juice. Cinnamon. Malunggay tea. Ginger. These come up constantly in Filipino conversations about diabetes management.
Some of these have real supporting evidence as helpful supplements to management. Ampalaya — bitter gourd — has been studied for its blood-sugar-lowering properties and is on the DOH's list of approved herbal medicines. Malunggay contains compounds that support insulin sensitivity.
But — and this is critical — none of these cure diabetes. They can support management alongside proper medication and lifestyle changes. They are not replacements for medical treatment.
The danger: people stop taking their prescribed medication because they're drinking ampalaya juice and feel better temporarily. Then their blood sugar climbs silently. And the damage continues.
Use the herbal support. But do it alongside your doctor's advice — not instead of it.
Myth 7: "If You Have No Symptoms, You're Fine"
This is perhaps the most medically dangerous myth on this list.
Type 2 diabetes can be completely asymptomatic for years. You feel fine. Your energy is normal. You're functioning. And your kidneys, your blood vessels, your nerves are quietly being damaged.
The majority of CKD cases connected to diabetes remain undiagnosed because early stages show almost no symptoms. By the time symptoms appear — frequent urination, unusual thirst, blurry vision, numbness in hands or feet, wounds that heal slowly — the disease has often already progressed significantly.
If you have a family history of diabetes — especially a parent or sibling — get your blood sugar tested even if you feel perfectly fine. A fasting blood sugar test is inexpensive and widely available at any laboratory. It takes ten minutes. It could tell you something your body isn't saying out loud yet.
Myth 8: "Type 1 and Type 2 Are the Same Thing"
They share a name and both involve blood sugar — but they are fundamentally different diseases.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. The body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It usually develops in childhood or young adulthood. People with Type 1 produce no insulin and require injections to survive. It has no known prevention.
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic condition. The body produces insulin but becomes resistant to it — or doesn't produce enough. It's strongly linked to lifestyle factors and develops gradually, usually in adults. It can often be managed with diet, exercise, oral medication, and sometimes insulin.
Understanding the difference matters because the management, the causes, and the emotional experience of each condition are very different. Telling someone with Type 1 to "just exercise more and eat less sugar" is not only unhelpful — it's medically wrong.
Myth 9: "Diabetic Food Products Are Better for You"
Walk through any supermarket and you'll find products labeled "diabetic-friendly" — cookies, crackers, snacks — usually at premium prices.
Most of these are unnecessary. A balanced diet rich in vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and moderate complex carbohydrates is what supports blood sugar management — not specially marketed products. Many "diabetic" products still contain significant carbohydrates or artificial sweeteners that affect blood sugar in their own ways.
Real food — kamote, ampalaya, isda, monggo, malunggay — is more effective and far cheaper than specialty diabetic snack products. Spend the money on fresh ingredients instead.
Myth 10: "Once You Have Diabetes, It's Over"
It's not over. But it does require a permanent shift in how you live.
Type 2 diabetes can be put into remission — not cured, but brought to levels where blood sugar normalizes without medication — through significant and sustained lifestyle changes. Weight loss, dietary overhaul, regular exercise, and stress management have all been shown to achieve this in some patients.
Even for those who cannot achieve remission, well-managed diabetes is compatible with a long, full, active life. The complications — the heart disease, the kidney failure, the blindness — are not inevitable. They happen when diabetes is ignored or poorly managed. When it's taken seriously, they can be delayed or prevented entirely.
My father didn't have the information we have now. The research wasn't as accessible, the conversations weren't happening in Filipino households, and nobody connected his diabetes to his heart clearly enough for our family to understand the urgency.
That's why I write about this. So that someone else's family gets the information we didn't get in time.
Mavs' Final Diagnosis
Diabetes is manageable. But it has to be taken seriously — not dismissed, not feared into paralysis, and not treated with myths instead of facts.
If you have a family history of diabetes — get tested. If you're already diagnosed — take it seriously. If someone tells you it's not that serious or that ampalaya alone will fix it — share this post.
And if you're caring for someone with diabetes right now — you're doing something important. The disease is hard. The management is constant. The person living with it deserves both honesty and hope.
We lost my father partly because of what we didn't know. You don't have to lose someone the same way.
Disclaimer: This post is for general health awareness and is not medical advice. Please consult your doctor or an endocrinologist for proper diagnosis and personalized diabetes management.
Does your family have a history of diabetes? Has anyone told you one of these myths? Share it in the comments — the more honest conversations we have, the more lives we protect.
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