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Is a very low carb diet healthy?

Do carbs have no other nutritional value to the body other than producing blood sugars ?
 
VashtiB said:
For type 2- very healthy. My blood results have never been so good- well except I need more salt.
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I wonder why you need extra salt , do you know the reason for that ?
 
jaywak said:
If you had zero carbs how would your body manufacture its blood sugar which after all is the main fuel of our bodies ?
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Well
a/ sugar is not the main fuel of our bodies once you are fat adapted and running on ketones

b/ the body produces the sugar it really needs (which is very little) through the process of gluconeogenesis where dietary protein is converted to blood sugar.

There are plenty of zero carbers (even more extreme than I am) thriving on their diets.
 
If this is correct as a type 1 if I had zero carbs in my diet there would be be no need for me to inject insulin hence in theory I could in fact cure my insulin dependant diabetes ! Interesting .
 
bulkbiker said:
Well
a/ sugar is not the main fuel of our bodies once you are fat adapted and running on ketones

b/ the body produces the sugar it really needs (which is very little) through the process of gluconeogenesis where dietary protein is converted to blood sugar.

There are plenty of zero carbers (even more extreme than I am) thriving on their diets.
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So if the body is making the sugar from other sources it will still need insulin to transfer it to the cells , Ok you just got me all exited there !
 
jaywak said:
If this is correct as a type 1 if I had zero carbs in my diet there would be be no need for me to inject insulin hence in theory I could in fact cure my insulin dependant diabetes ! Interesting .
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Not quite cure but that's why ultra low carb T1's appear to need far less insulin than those eating a high carb diet.
Basically that's what Bernstein's law of small numbers is based on.
 
I have also heard that the first port of call for our bodies is to produce the sugar it needs from the carbs we eat and if their not available it will go elsewhere to get them , Protein etc , If this is the natural process is that not we should be doing , I do understand we eat way more carbs than we need and do need to cut down but surely zero can't be healthy ! I was told (all be it 46 yrs ago) 200 gms carbs per day is what our bodies need and that is what I always aimed for , I have cut down to about 150 now but I think thats more a case of getting older and not needing so much food .
 
jaywak said:
I was told (all be it 46 yrs ago) 200 gms carbs per day is what our bodies need and that is what I always aimed for , I have cut down to about 150 now but I think thats more a case of getting older and not needing so much food .
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My understanding is that zero carbs for T1s is discouraged because it then becomes difficult to differentiate between dietary ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis. but the dietician at my diabetic clinic has no problems with me going low carb, though she'd prefer 30g a meal. (I'm between 50g and 100g most days, sometimes more if I feel like it.
If you're interested in very low carb T1s you should possibly head over to typeonegrit on facebook
TYPEONEGRIT | Facebook
 
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There seems to be so many differing opinions on this, be it from medical experts or from humble people like me who have had to cope with the problem for many years . I think at the end of the day the proof of the pudding has got to be in the eating ,( not to much though , watch them carbs ) .
 
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jaywak said:
There seems to be so many differing opinions on this, be it from medical experts or from humble people like me who have had to cope with the problem for many years . I think at the end of the day the truth of the pudding has got to be in the eating ,( not to much though , watch them carbs ) .
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The facts, proven by proper studies, on how our bodies work, is not opinion. I recommend you look round this site for links to studies explaining carbs, how and what makes glucose, and how our bodies use it. It's fascinating, in my opinion. There is so many misunderstandings about this factual process.
 
jaywak said:
So if the body is making the sugar from other sources it will still need insulin to transfer it to the cells , Ok you just got me all exited there !
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In addition to the regulation of glucose, insulin also plays a role in other areas of the body. To this end, insulin may be involved in:
  • Modifying the activity of enzymes and the resulting reactions in the body.
  • Building muscle following sickness or injury via the transportation of amino acids to the muscle tissue, which is required to repair muscular damage and increase size and strength. It helps to regulate the uptake of amino acids, DNA replication, and the synthesis of proteins.
  • Managing the synthesis of lipids by uptake into fat cells, which are converted to triglycerides.
  • Managing breakdown of protein and lipids due to changes in fat cells.
  • Uptake of amino acids and potassium into the cells that cannot take place in the absence of insulin.
  • Managing the excretion of sodium and fluid volume in the urine.
  • Enhancing the memory and learning capabilities of the brain
(from this article https://www.news-medical.net/health/Insulins-role-in-the-human-body.aspx)
 
jaywak said:
If this is correct as a type 1 if I had zero carbs in my diet there would be be no need for me to inject insulin hence in theory I could in fact cure my insulin dependant diabetes ! Interesting .
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Hi there, no, that is why we require bolus and basal insulin, the bolus to go with our food and the basal to cope with the background glucose if you like, ie, our liver can still store glucose and it can still drop it out randomly as and when our body needs it. This is totally independent of the mechanism of glucose/insulin when we eat. If we don't eat carbs (this applies to anybody), then our body will convert fat to energy instead and use that as 'glucose' by switching to fat adaptation, (that's why prior to diagnosis many type 1s lose weight rapidly even whilst eating carbs galore, our body cannot use the carbs because it has no or nowhere near enough insulin) so it thinks it's starving and starts using fat. Ketosis. If we suddenly stopped our basal insulin, even without food, our body would release the stored glucose and our levels would rise without insulin to utilise it and we would eventually die because once again our body thinks it is starving. In fact, long ago the method of treating type1 (before insulin) was to eat no carbs. This allowed you to stumble on for a few weeks if that and then that was it. It's also why when we are ill and unable to eat food we MUST still take our basal. x
 
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