can type 1 diabetes be controlled with diet?

[yetta2mymom]

Hi

I have a rare (in the U.K.) form of reactive hypoglycemia. I completely control my problem with a very low-carb diet. I guess I have been doing this for over 12 years. I have genetics (there are a bunch of us) so that I do not lose weight on a low-carb diet. I am presently losing weight by removing as much fat from my diet as practicable. I am simulating a severe type 2 diabetic on a low-carb diet. The reason people lose weight on a low-carb diet is that you produce insulin to process protein. Once insulin is in the blood it starts getting cells to change sugar into fat. I have concluded that all humans can produce hormones which create temporary type 2 diabetes. You may have to produce these hormones or you will get very low blood sugar. In any case you end up with lower blood sugar than the body is comfortable with. Your liver changes fat into sugar and releases it to raise your blood sugar. Changing sugar into fat and then changing fat into sugar is very energy intensive. You use energy and lose weight. Since I can control my reactive hypoglycemia it implies type 2 diabetics can control their problem with diet. Type 1 diabetics have the additional problem of processing protein. What is the test(s) which sees if you have too much ammonia or other byproducts of not processing protein? If you have type 1 diabetes can you limit ingesting protein enough so that you can control your type 1 diabetes and/or can you detect when you are having problems and quickly get back on a good track?

 

[Juicyj]

Hello Yetta

If you are suggesting 'can type 1 be controlled by diet' alone, then the simple answer is no.

By eating protein there is a process called 'gluconeogenesis' when the body converts protein to glucose and therefore elevating BG levels, so insulin is required, there is no free lunch and therefore once type 1 is diagnosed it can only be controlled with insulin and by no other means and then regular BG testing is essential in maintaining control.

 

[Guzzler]

"You may have to produce these hormones..." Insulin is vital to life, there is no choice in the matter. Non Diabetics have a system that responds in the right fashion to all macros. Those of us with a metabolic dysfunction do not and those with Type 1 Diabetes are missing a vital piece of the jigsaw.
Fats promote a negligible insulin response though they can influence the metabolism of protein and carbs.
The insulin response to protein is not as high as in carbs which is why a diet low in carbohydrate, moderate in protein and high in healthy fats makes perfect sense. We would not aim for zero insulin response because, well, that would be crazy.

Just to add, healthy fats do not make you gain weight but a diet higher in carbs and fats will.

 

[Emile_the_rat]

No, your cells still need glucose to work, so there is no way to make a zero-carb diet work, only low-carb diet.

With a low-carb diet, you will still get glucose, and therefore need insulin to transport the glucose into your cells.

So no, type 1 can not be controlled by diet alone, diet can help to reduce the need of insulin medication, but you still need to take it.

 

[lucylocket61]

if you are low carbing, and now eating virtually no fat either, what are you living off?

and what other damage are you doing by removing most of the fat from your diet? our bodies do not need carbs BUT they do need fats.

 

[zand]

Can type 1 diabetes be controlled with diet?

No.

 

[therower]

Can type 1 diabetes be controlled with diet?

No.

But a good diet makes it easier to control.

 

[zand]

But a good diet makes it easier to control.

lol yeh, but I didn't want to get into an argument about what constitutes a good diet. Perhaps you would like to do that bit ….

 

[therower]

lol yeh, but I didn't want to get into an argument about what constitutes a good diet. Perhaps you would like to do that bit ….

Most definitely not......

 

[yetta2mymom]

Hello Yetta

If you are suggesting 'can type 1 be controlled by diet' alone, then the simple answer is no.

By eating protein there is a process called 'gluconeogenesis' when the body converts protein to glucose and therefore elevating BG levels, so insulin is required, there is no free lunch and therefore once type 1 is diagnosed it can only be controlled with insulin and by no other means and then regular BG testing is essential in maintaining control.

Thanks. I know doctors were trying to control type 1 diabetes and had been su

Hello Yetta

If you are suggesting 'can type 1 be controlled by diet' alone, then the simple answer is no.

By eating protein there is a process called 'gluconeogenesis' when the body converts protein to glucose and therefore elevating BG levels, so insulin is required, there is no free lunch and therefore once type 1 is diagnosed it can only be controlled with insulin and by no other means and then regular BG testing is essential in maintaining control.

Hi

I know there were doctors who were trying to control type 1 diabetes with diet.. They posted a picture of a teen age (guess 12,13,14) who they said had controlled his diabetes since birth. Can you cut the amount of times you need to control BG with diet. I do not know. What were they doing?

 

[Antje77]

I think no-one ever tri

Can you cut the amount of times you need to control BG with diet.

What do you mean? Do you mean check what your BG is?

 

[yetta2mymom]

"You may have to produce these hormones..." Insulin is vital to life, there is no choice in the matter. Non Diabetics have a system that responds in the right fashion to all macros. Those of us with a metabolic dysfunction do not and those with Type 1 Diabetes are missing a vital piece of the jigsaw.
Fats promote a negligible insulin response though they can influence the metabolism of protein and carbs.
The insulin response to protein is not as high as in carbs which is why a diet low in carbohydrate, moderate in protein and high in healthy fats makes perfect sense. We would not aim for zero insulin response because, well, that would be crazy.

Just to add, healthy fats do not make you gain weight but a diet higher in carbs and fats will.

I do not lose weight on any standard low carb diet. I have to also cut the fats. In a low carb diet you are poring in the protein and that is why you lose weight. As your response indicates you may not have enough insulin release to warrant a hormone release. People with my genetics are putting out the hormones most of the time. I do not change sugar into fat when I process protein. When my blood sugar gets high my body cuts the hormones. In a glucose tolerance test I put out enough insulin to somewhat control my blood sugar but my body tests and only makes a large release of insulin when I have become less insulin resistance. People with my genetics wait over an hour during a glucose tolerance test before our bodies decide a major insulin release is justified. Women with my genetics are diabetic while pregnant. That is necessary since the method we use to stop the hormones would effect the same or very similar hormones produced in the placenta.

 

[yetta2mymom]

No, your cells still need glucose to work, so there is no way to make a zero-carb diet work, only low-carb diet.

With a low-carb diet, you will still get glucose, and therefore need insulin to transport the glucose into your cells.

So no, type 1 can not be controlled by diet alone, diet can help to reduce the need of insulin medication, but you still need to take it.

Hi
If necessary the liver changes fat into sugar. So you can eat very little sugar/starch/alchol and do fine. I am old but I have lived on a very low carb diet for over 12 years and my health has improved.

 

[yetta2mymom]

I think no-one ever tri

What do you mean? Do you mean check what your BG is?

As I said about 2-3 years ago doctors reported that a young teenager had controlled his type 1 diabetes by diet. I have never read the details and I am trying to figure out what they meany. I eat my diet because I do not restart my hormones which produce insulin resistance except when my body detects a blood sugar emergency and then it is stalled. That is reactive hypoglycemia. People with the more common type reactive hypoglycemia have to control there input of protein or they get very low blood sugar. I do not have that problem.

 

[yetta2mymom]

if you are low carbing, and now eating virtually no fat either, what are you living off?

and what other damage are you doing by removing most of the fat from your diet? our bodies do not need carbs BUT they do need fats.

I have some fat (inevitable). I have some carbs (inevitable). I am losing weight (tough for me). I eat enough low carb vegtables for health. I can live off my fat for a very long time (years).

 

[yetta2mymom]

I think no-one ever tri

What do you mean? Do you mean check what your BG is?

No I check nothing. I feel fine on my strange diet. I do not have a lack of insulin. I am always insulin resistant. I am simulating a severe type 2 diabetic.

 

[yetta2mymom]

I think no-one ever tri

What do you mean? Do you mean check what your BG is?

I still have not figured out what the doctors were doing to prevent the problems associated with no insulin and very low protein. If the protein intake is low enough is there a problem?

 

[Guzzler]

I do not lose weight on any standard low carb diet. I have to also cut the fats. In a low carb diet you are poring in the protein and that is why you lose weight. As your response indicates you may not have enough insulin release to warrant a hormone release. People with my genetics are putting out the hormones most of the time. I do not change sugar into fat when I process protein. When my blood sugar gets high my body cuts the hormones. In a glucose tolerance test I put out enough insulin to somewhat control my blood sugar but my body tests and only makes a large release of insulin when I have become less insulin resistance. People with my genetics wait over an hour during a glucose tolerance test before our bodies decide a major insulin release is justified. Women with my genetics are diabetic while pregnant. That is necessary since the method we use to stop the hormones would effect the same or very similar hormones produced in the placenta.

Are you speaking of the glucagon response? Or are you speaking to the 'hunter gatherer gene' hypothesis?

There are other people who improve their health with regard to blood glucose levels without losing much weight on a low carb diet, the reason for this is unfortunately unknown but I would hazard a guess that a diet low in carbs to aid bg and low in fat to aid weight loss would lead to two things, temporary weight loss and semi permanent hunger.

 

[Antje77]

I still have not figured out what the doctors were doing to prevent the problems associated with no insulin and very low protein. If the protein intake is low enough is there a problem?

I'll leave your questions to more knowledgable people, as I really don't know what you're talking about. Wish you all the best!

 

[kokhongw]

In a glucose tolerance test I put out enough insulin to somewhat control my blood sugar but my body tests and only makes a large release of insulin when I have become less insulin resistance. People with my genetics wait over an hour during a glucose tolerance test before our bodies decide a major insulin release is justified. Women with my genetics are diabetic while pregnant. That is necessary since the method we use to stop the hormones would effect the same or very similar hormones produced in the placenta.

Anyone who has impaired phase 1 insulin response has the same issue. The OGTT with delayed insulin response simply means that we have lost much of our phase 1 insulin response. We then try to make up for it with an amplified phase 2 insulin response...and when that amplified response is no longer enough to handle the incoming glucose, we...get diagnosed as T2D.

The traditional assumption has been that it is uni-directional...we will only get progressively worse. But in reality, as you have realized, it doesn't have to be. By reducing our carbs intake, and having an insulin lite requirement, we become more insulin sensitive. For T2D it has been largely described as beta cells dysfunction/impairment, not complete beta-cells death. We do suffer loss of beta-cells, but still retain 30-50% functionality. T1D on the other hand has almost non. Hence they need basal level insulin to be able to handle any glucose in their system. Otherwise they melt away.