Patient's question:
A friend recently discovered that they have diabetes during a health check-up at a hospital. The doctor advised them to eat less sugar. The friend loves sweet foods, but they dare not eat them. So when they really want to, they give their grandfather xylitol to satisfy their cravings. I'd like to understand why people with diabetes cannot eat sugar. Why can't people with diabetes eat sugar?Doctor's answer:
Principally, diabetic patients are not supposed to eat sucrose, fructose, and maltose. These sugars can rapidly lower blood sugar. In diabetes, the issue lies in insufficient insulin secretion or delayed insulin secretion by the pancreas, which cannot promptly restore blood sugar to normal levels. Persistent hyperglycemia is the root cause of all complications associated with diabetes. However, doctors may advise diabetic patients to carry some sugar cubes with them, so they can consume a small piece in case of hypoglycemic reactions.