The results of a recent Nanos survey on diabetes are shedding some light on a lack of education about the common disease.

Diabetes Canada President and CEO Laura Syron, who happens to live with Type 2 diabetes, says the survey of 1000 Canadians had some rather shocking results, such as almost 50 per cent of people thinking that diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar, and over half of respondents thinking that diabetes impacts people’s ability to do their job.

“Forty per cent of Canadians believe that, for people with Type 2 who use medication, that it’s because they failed to manage their condition, and therefor had to be put on insulin or a semaglutide.”

She adds that Halloween is a great excuse to educate the public about the relationship between sugar and diabetes. She recounts hearing “Oh, well you probably don’t give candy out in your house, because you can’t have any sugar,” but explains that diabetes patients can enjoy candy in moderation, just like everyone else.

She says the misconception that diabetes is self-induced, and not a result of a plethora of genetic and environmental factors, can result in both physical and mental health consequences, as people will be less likely to seek health advice in fear of being judged.

“We know this, that people with diabetes, if they feel stigmatized or feel shamed, they actually are less likely to seek support.”

Syron says diabetes is often the brunt of meal-time jokes and is not taken seriously. For example, she says she’s “been out with folks who are looking at a dessert…and they say, ‘Is that diabetes worthy?’ You would never say that about cancer.”

Syron encourages everyone to, first, educate themselves about the disease before sharing the knowledge with others to prevent misinformation from spreading.