*Diabetes disproportionately affects minority populations and the elderly. Latino community, second most affected population group 

The whole world has been on the lookout for HIV/AIDS-19, a disease that has caused millions of infections and deaths, but the pandemic also made people take a closer look at their lifestyles and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, a disease that is the subject of many myths and realities.

Diabetes disproportionately affects minority populations and the elderly, and is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.CDCAs of 2018, 26.9 million people had diagnosed diabetes - 8.2 percent of the nation's population - while in San Mateo County, the percentage of people with the disease was 8.9 percent, and in 2018, 427 people died from complications of the disease.

Nationally, among adults 18 and older, the highest prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was among American Indians/Alaska Natives - 14.7 percent - followed by Latinos - 12.5 percent, blacks - 11.7 percent, Asians - 9.2 percent, and non-Hispanic whites - 7.5 percent.

Among adults of Hispanic origin, those from Mexico - 14.4 percent - and Puerto Rico - 12.4 percent - had the highest prevalence, followed by those from Central and South America - 8.3 percent.

This disease can have a damaging effect on most organ systems in the human body; it is a frequent cause of end-stage renal disease, non-traumatic amputation of the lower extremities, and a leading cause of blindness among working-age adults. 

People with diabetes also have an increased risk of ischemic heart disease, neuropathy, and stroke. 

According to the CDC, direct medical costs attributable to diabetes exceed $327 billion. Diabetes disproportionately affects minority populations and the elderly, and its incidence is likely to increase as minority populations grow and the U.S. population ages.

There are a number of myths and facts about diabetes that can create misconceptions, stereotypes and negativism, says the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes, myths and facts

MythDiabetes is not a serious disease.

RealityDiabetes causes more deaths each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Two out of 3 people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

MythType 2 Diabetes: People who are obese or overweight will get type 2 diabetes.

RealityOverweight is a risk factor for this disease, but other risk factors also play a role, such as family history, race, and age. 

Unfortunately, many people don't pay attention to the other risk factors and think that weight is the only risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Most people who are overweight do not have type 2 diabetes, and many people who have type 2 diabetes are normal weight or very slightly overweight.

Myth: Eating too many sweets causes diabetes.

Reality: The answer is no, it's not that simple. The cause of type 1 diabetes are genetic and unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease; the cause of type 2 diabetes are genetic and lifestyle factors.

A diet high in calories of any kind leads to weight gain. Studies show that drinking sugary drinks is associated with type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people limit their intake of sugary drinks to help prevent diabetes, such as regular soda, fruit punch, fruit juices, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sweet tea.

A single serving of these drinks raises blood glucose and contains several hundred calories!

MythPeople with diabetes should eat special diabetic foods.

RealityA healthy eating plan for people with diabetes is generally the same as anyone else's healthy eating plan: low in fat-especially saturated and trans fats, moderate salt and sugar, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. 

Special diabetic foods and so-called "diet" foods in general offer no special benefit. Most still raise blood glucose levels, are usually more expensive, and can have a laxative effect if they have sugar alcohols.

MythIf someone has diabetes, they can only eat small amounts of carbohydrate foods like bread, potatoes, and noodles.

RealityCarbohydrate foods can be part of a healthy eating plan, but portion size is key. Whole grain breads, cereals, noodles, and rice, and carbohydrate vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, and corn can be part of your meals and snacks.

MythPeople with diabetes can't eat sweets or chocolate.

RealitySweets and desserts can be eaten by people with diabetes as part of a healthy eating plan or in combination with exercise. These foods are not off-limits for people with or without diabetes. The key is to eat a very small portion of sweets and save them for special occasions so that meals focus on healthier foods.

MythDiabetes is contagious.

RealityNo. While we don't know exactly why people get diabetes, we do know that diabetes is not contagious. There seem to be certain genetic factors in diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes. Lifestyle also plays a role.

MythPeople with diabetes tend to get sick and catch colds.

RealityPeople with diabetes are no more likely to get sick or catch colds than anyone else. However, it is recommended that people with diabetes get a flu shot. This is because any illness can make it harder to control diabetes, and people with diabetes who get colds are more likely than others to have serious complications.

MythIf you have type 2 diabetes and your doctor tells you that you need to start taking insulin, that means you are not taking good care of yourself.

RealityFor most people, type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. As soon as they are diagnosed, many people with type 2 diabetes are able to keep their blood glucose at a healthy level without oral medications. But over time, the body gradually produces less insulin, until there comes a point when oral medications are not enough to keep glucose within normal levels. Using insulin to keep blood glucose at a healthy level is a good thing, not a bad thing.

MythFruit is a healthy food. Therefore, it is okay to eat as much as you feel like.

RealityFruit is a healthy food. It contains fiber and many vitamins and minerals. But fruits contain carbohydrates that should be counted in your meal plan. Talk to your dietitian about how much, how often, and what kinds of fruit to eat.

These are some of the myths and realities that revolve around diabetes. It should be noted that it is necessary to go to a medical center to be diagnosed and treated for the care and control of this disease.

Its main symptoms are: increased thirst; frequent urination; increased hunger; unintentional weight loss; fatigue; blurred vision; and sores that are slow to heal.

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The old headache excuse for not having sex may be over. What's more, according to one study, sex may actually ease them.

Research has shown that not everyone who experiences headaches has a decreased libido. In fact, they may desire a sexual encounter and, for some people, sex provides relief from pain. 

Two research studies have addressed the problems of headaches, sexual desire and pain relief.

Migraine and sexual desire, children of the same hormone

According to a study conducted by researchers from the Department of Anesthesiology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Houle et al., 2006) on the relationship between migraine headaches and sexual desire found that not all people who suffer from headaches avoid sex.

In the small analysis involving 68 individuals, they were given a Brief Diagnostic Headache Interview and a Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI). 

The results showed that those participants with migraine reported 20 percent higher levels of sexual desire than those with tension-type headache.

Given this, the researchers hypothesized that migraines and sexual desire may be determined by the same chemical: serotonin. 

Thus, serotonin metabolism was shown to vary with the onset of a migraine attack, which had chronically low systemic serotonin. 

As sexual desire has also been related to serotonin levels, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that migraine and sexual desire may be modulated by similar serotonergic phenomena.

Sex, a real headache reliever

On the other hand, the study "The impact of sexual activity on headaches of unknown cause: an observational study"The study, conducted by Anke Hambach, Stefan Evers, Oliver Summ, Ingo W Husstedt and Achim Frese, concluded that sexual activity and orgasm can lead to partial or complete relief of headache pain in some patients with migraine or cluster headache.

The analysis included 133 headache patients, of whom 103 were categorized as having migraine and the other 30 as having cluster headaches (headache defined as a series of brief but severe headaches every day for weeks or months).

In those with migraine, despite the severity of associated symptoms, 34 percent of patients had experience with sexual activity during an attack, and of those, 60 percent reported improvement-70 percent of them reported moderate to complete relief-and 33 percent reported worsening. 

It is noteworthy that some patients, particularly male migraine sufferers, even used sexual activity as a therapeutic tool.

Researchers propose several possible reasons why sex is a mitigating factor in headache pain. 

Sex itself, experts say, is a distraction from pain because the release of endorphins during sexual activity and orgasm, the relaxation following orgasm, and the variety of physiological reflexes associated with sexual activity may be a cause of pain relief. 

In addition, the researchers agree with the hypothesis of the Wake Forest University study researchers that migraines and sexual desire are affected by serotonin levels.

Of course, as with any sexual activity, whether or not one desires sex depends solely on the individual. For some, sex with a partner may be acceptable during a headache, while others may want to seek relief from pain by masturbating to orgasm.

While having sex during a headache might be just what the doctor ordered, it depends purely on the patient's mood, so we might still be a long way from "honey, how about tonight? I've got a headache!

You may be interested in: Jealousy, a gender issue?

The famous Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky once wrote: "One suffers from two kinds of jealousy: the jealousy of love and the jealousy of self-love", a phrase perfectly attributable to both women and men. But is there a gender difference? Science has solved it.

Jealousy is a complex emotion that encompasses feelings ranging from suspicion, to anger, to fear, to humiliation. It affects people of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations, and is usually aroused when a person perceives a threat to a valued relationship from a third party, whether real or imagined.

In the case of heterosexual people, men experience more jealousy when they are victims of sexual deception, while women are more affected by jealousy when it is a deception of a sentimental nature.

This is revealed by a study conducted by a team of researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who concluded that in heterosexual couples jealousy is very different depending on gender.

The analysis details that heterosexual men react negatively more often when their partner has had sex with other people as opposed to if she has fallen in love or spent time with someone without having sex. 

"Jealousy is triggered when a relationship we care about is threatened. The function is probably to minimize threats to this relationship. Historically, these threats have been somewhat different for men and women," said Per Helge H. Larsen, co-author of the analysis published in the journal Nature.

This, she explained, has to do with evolutionary psychology around children, since if a woman is sexually unfaithful, it ultimately means that her partner may need to use his own resources to raise another man's children.

Women, on the other hand, are always sure that the child is theirs. They tend to react more negatively to their partner having feelings for another woman than to his having had sex with her. 

The answer can also be explained historically, for example, she and her child/children might suffer a loss of resources and status if he were to leave her for someone else.

In this sense, the study refers that, in the past, being alone and helpless, facing social criticism as well as economic deprivation has more weight for women than a merely sexual deception.

However, the researchers noted that jealousy exists even before one is old enough to care for a partner.

Jealousy appears before the age of 16

The paper entitled "Investigating the emergence of sex differences in jealousy responses in a large community sample from an evolutionary perspective", by Per Helge H. Larsen, Mons Bendixen, Trond Viggo Grøntvedt, Andrea M. Kessler and Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, highlights that jealousy starts before the age of 16.

«Jealousy is a potentially costly reaction, perhaps especially for men before they are physically strong enough to defend themselves and their partners from rivals, and before they would normally have had the opportunity to have a stable partner through marriage," details the co-author. Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair.

In the analysis, which reviewed the cases of 1,266 16- to 19-year-olds in upper secondary school, the researchers found that gender differences in the way they processed jealousy held true regardless of age, whether or not they had sex or were in a committed relationship. 

In that sense, they detailed that the young people analyzed presented the same parameters of jealousy as adults, so this difference does not seem to have anything to do with experience.

"We knew that this difference is established in the early 20s, but our study has shown that it appears even earlier," says Per Helge H. Larsen.

For his part, Ottensen Kennair refers that «the benefits of this early, gender-specific sexual jealousy must have outweighed its dangers. It may be that the early development of sexual jealousy is simply preparing us for adulthood and has no other function at an earlier age.".

It should be noted that the researchers suggest that this idea is speculation, and further research and theoretical development is needed based on these findings.

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