Old wives tales are usually thought of as silly, superstitious and useless information passed down through the generations. But the fact is that some “old wives” have actually passed on a lot of very useful knowledge over the years.

Here are some Old Wives Tales about Diabetes.

Pumpkin (Maybe)

Research showed that diabetic rodents that were fed an extract from Asian pumpkins had a notable increase in insulin producing cells. This stems from an old Chinese herbal remedy. It is not hailed as a cure, but could be a cheap and easy way for people in the beginning stages of diabetes to help control the severity of the disease.

Eating too much sugar causes diabetes (False)

Another Old Wives Tale suggests that if you eat too much sugar it will give you diabetes. This is not true. Some research shows that if you eat a high sugar diet that is low in fat it may actually help to protect you from diabetes.

Vinegar (False)

Some people say that drinking vinegar helps to control diabetes. Not only would it taste horrible, it will not help!

Insect bites (True)

People with diabetes are MORE likely to get bitten from mosquitoes, midges and ticks, as the insects are attracted to the extra sugar in the blood.