Type 1 diabetes is still quite a mystery to many people. Frequently grouped with Type 2, Type 1 patients are often misunderstood and offered unhelpful advice or treatment regimens. Misconceptions as a whole are common, but there are 5 in particular that seem to come up again and again.

#1. Exercise Is the Cure

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are often confused and intertwined but the two possess different symptoms and different causes. While Type 2 could be caused by lifestyle habits, the cause of Type 1 is still largely unknown, and the onset of Type 1 is often not preceded by any health concern. Exercise can be quite useful in keeping blood sugar numbers down but is in no way an effective means of curing the condition.

#2. Weight Plays a Role In Its Onset

Type 1 diabetes is not usually marked by a distinctive weight. Indeed, one of the most common symptoms of Type 1 diabetes is unexplained weight loss. Many people who are diagnosed with the condition to not possess excess weight on their frame, and may even be considered underweight. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, not purely a metabolic issue.

#3. Food Is the Cure

In a similar vein, food cannot provide a magic button to cure Type 1. Treatment involves careful consumption of food to balance your blood sugar and stay within the requirements of the insulin you must administer, but food itself is not powerful enough to treat and heal Type 1 altogether.

#4. Healing Your Gut Heals Type 1

The gut-health connection is gaining widespread traction by holistic medicine and western medicine alike. Numerous ailments originate in the gut and can impact all other areas of the body. Unfortunately, taking probiotics and improving your gut health is not an effective way to treat or eliminate Type 1 diabetes. In an autoimmune disorder, the affected patient’s body essentially begins attacking itself—a state that cannot be removed by simple supplementation.

#5. Reversal Is the Treatment Goal

Type 1 reversal is still shrouded in a lot of mystery. Some transplant options have proven extremely successful, while others have failed within a few weeks or years. Currently, reversal is not the goal of Type 1 treatment. Instead, the goal of treatment is management. Type 1 diabetes must be managed using diet, exercise, and insulin, with the possibility of additional medication to treat related symptoms.