Introduction
In today’s society, diabetes mellitus remains a severe public health problem, destructively affecting the patient’s metabolic activity as well as reducing the quality of life. However, it is not so much the phenomenology of diabetes as a developmental pathology of the body that is the focus of this essay, but rather the widespread belief that frequent eating of sugary foods can lead to diabetes. This belief may be heard significantly often by young children, who, due to inexperience and unformed eating behavior, may consume large amounts of sugary foods and sodas, which their caring parents or caregivers may scare the children with diabetes. The essay seeks to construct a reasoned position on this opinion and discuss the relevant evidence.
Thesis Statement
Consumption of sugary foods, regardless of volume, may not be a direct, reliable predictor for the development of type 2 diabetes, but it may pose some threats. Parentally promoted opinion, which should be viewed as a myth, should not be promoted because it is misleading.
The Concept of Diabetes
The primary point to be made is that diabetes is actually a group of diseases that differ in mechanisms. Type one diabetes is referred to as an inherited autoimmune disease that results in the inability to process glucose efficiently in the body, leading to spikes in blood sugar levels (CDC, 2022). Type 2 diabetes refers to a similar disease that is not formed as hereditary but in the course of the loss of pancreatic activity, leading to the same outcomes. Already from this perspective, it is clear that no matter how much sweets a child eats as a child, it will not affect the development of a hereditary disease because food does not determine genetics (Mullins et al., 2020). Thus, a child cannot develop type 1 diabetes just by eating sugary foods frequently, although it will undoubtedly affect their overall health and likely lead to obesity.
Effects of Sugar on Diabetes
Meanwhile, this parental caveat is based on the notion that excessive consumption of sugary foods alters specific metabolic processes in the body and causes the formation of type 2 diabetes. In fact, studies show that there is no strong link between sweet foods and type 2 diabetes (Diabetes, n.d.). Indeed, one should talk about acceptable limits for such consumption, and in the case of even excessive sugar in the diet, it is assumed that the child is not consuming this product in lethal amounts for the body. It is fair to admit, however, that there is some truth to this myth: frequent eating of sweets is more likely to lead to obesity in a child, which is a key developmental factor for type 2 diabetes (Hatta et al., 2022). In other words, one can say that every child who eats much sugar has an increased chance of obesity and, thus, diabetes, but one cannot say that this link is universal and unshakable. Hence, thin people can get diabetes, and at the same time, not everyone who is obese is necessarily vulnerable to diabetes.
Conclusion
This essay analyzed the common myth among parents that frequent consumption of sweets causes diabetes in children. In an effort to protect and limit their child, parents use this phrase without reflecting on how true it is. Admittedly, the semantic meaning of this belief on the part of parents constructs a specific link between sugar consumption variables and diabetes. However, research does not support the universality of this connection. Type 2 diabetes can indeed develop in obese children, but in such a case, parents should have advised children not only to limit their sugar intake but also to switch to vegetables, exercise, and water consumption. It is artificial sugar as the most frightening factor that is often used by parents to intimidate their child, which is not entirely correct in terms of the actual evidence.
References
CDC. (2022). What is diabetes? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Diabetes. (n.d.). Sugar and diabetes. Web.
Hatta, M., Horikawa, C., Takeda, Y., Ikeda, I., Yoshizawa Morikawa, S., Kato, N., & Sone, H. (2022). Association between obesity and intake of different food groups among Japanese with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus — Japan Diabetes clinical data management study (JDDM68). Nutrients, 14(15), 1-14. Web.
Mullins, V. A., Bresette, W., Johnstone, L., Hallmark, B., & Chilton, F. H. (2020). Genomics in personalized nutrition: Can you “eat for your genes”? Nutrients, 12(10), 1-23. Web.