Diet and excercise only

[Gina G]

I've posted previously my son (age 30) type 1, who controlled it by diet and excercise, (no insulin or meds) has now been told that while his readings are in normal non diabetic range, is classed as non diabetic but if it does come back it will be very slow and possibly type 2, this coming from diabetic specialist Professor Hattersley.

He believes it is due to his strict excercise and following a LCHF diet.

Does anyone believe in lots of excercise and good diet to help with controlling diabtetes, as I've spoken to lots of folk this last 7/8 months who say they or family members who have diabetes don't control it very well and don't excercise at all

I'm so surprised at this, as I thought the shock of diagnose would make them be strict diet etc??

 

[KK123]

Hi Gina, do you know how he came to be diagnosed as type 1 in the first place? If he was diagnosed 7 months ago he might still be in the honeymoon period and therefore still has his own pancreas producing insulin which might trick him into thinking he is no longer diabetic. Having said that, his Diabetic specialist seems to be saying he could be type 2 instead. Either way I think we would all agree he wasn't a type 1 who cured it by diet and exercising to such an extent that it's now turned in to type 2. For me, yes, exercise helps me keep my glucose levels lower.

 

[DCUKMod]

I've posted previously my son (age 30) type 1, who controlled it by diet and excercise, (no insulin or meds) has now been told that while his readings are in normal non diabetic range, is classed as non diabetic but if it does come back it will be very slow and possibly type 2, this coming from diabetic specialist Professor Hattersley.

He believes it is due to his strict excercise and following a LCHF diet.

Does anyone believe in lots of excercise and good diet to help with controlling diabtetes, as I've spoken to lots of folk this last 7/8 months who say they or family members who have diabetes don't control it very well and don't excercise at all

I'm so surprised at this, as I thought the shock of diagnose would help them to be strick with everything??

Gina - Your thread in sitting in the "Type 3c" area of the forum, which could impact the number of people see your thread, and therefore respond. Would you like your thread moved to somewhere with a bit more traffic?

 

[Gina G]

Gina - Your thread in sitting in the "Type 3c" area of the forum, which could impact the number of people see your thread, and therefore respond. Would you like your thread moved to somewhere with a bit more traffic?

Yes please, I'm new to this, as you probably can tell Xx

 

[DCUKMod]

Yes please, I'm new to this, as you probably can tell Xx

No worries. I'll put your thread into Ask a Question, for maximum visibility

 

[Gina G]

Hi Gina, do you know how he came to be diagnosed as type 1 in the first place? If he was diagnosed 7 months ago he might still be in the honeymoon period and therefore still has his own pancreas producing insulin which might trick him into thinking he is no longer diabetic. Having said that, his Diabetic specialist seems to be saying he could be type 2 instead. Either way I think we would all agree he wasn't a type 1 who cured it by diet and exercising to such an extent that it's now turned in to type 2. For me, yes, exercise helps me keep my glucose levels lower.

Hi KK123
Just the hospital who tested him for GAD, C.Peptide, 1A2 and ZnTr8, all,came back negative apart from the latter, which hospital said is consistent with Type 1 but Professor Hattersley disagreed, so I don't no really, he also stated the honeymoon period to, but stated that my son would still have slightly higher levels and lows even without meds or insulin, but how my son has been for last 7 months he says this certainly isn't normal even in honeymoon period for such a long period of time.
My son has never weavered from perfect blood readings from the first diagnose of or 1 that weekend back in March, and tbh he eats as he wishes as he isn't bothered either way wether he eats carbs anyway, but still has bread everyday for lunch (sandwich) and has pizza for for an evening meal once a week and fish and chips every Friday.....
Time will tell, but as time goes on he feels better and better he says

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi KK123
Just the hospital who tested him for GAD, C.Peptide, 1A2 and ZnTr8, all,came back negative apart from the latter, which hospital said is consistent with Type 1 but Professor Hattersley disagreed, so I don't no really, he also stated the honeymoon period to, but stated that my son would still have slightly higher levels and lows even without meds or insulin, but how my son has been for last 7 months he says this certainly isn't normal even in honeymoon period for such a long period of time.
My son has never weavered from perfect blood readings from the first diagnose of or 1 that weekend back in March, and tbh he eats as he wishes as he isn't bothered either way wether he eats carbs anyway, but still has bread everyday for lunch (sandwich) and has pizza for for an evening meal once a week and fish and chips every Friday.....
Time will tell, but as time goes on he feels better and better he says

Gina - I note you have said a couple of times he was diagnosed, so I get that, but what I am missing in terms of trying to put the picture together, is why he was tested and diagnosed in the first place. Had he become critically ill, or go to the Doc, or something else?

 

[KK123]

Hi KK123
Just the hospital who tested him for GAD, C.Peptide, 1A2 and ZnTr8, all,came back negative apart from the latter, which hospital said is consistent with Type 1 but Professor Hattersley disagreed, so I don't no really, he also stated the honeymoon period to, but stated that my son would still have slightly higher levels and lows even without meds or insulin, but how my son has been for last 7 months he says this certainly isn't normal even in honeymoon period for such a long period of time.
My son has never weavered from perfect blood readings from the first diagnose of or 1 that weekend back in March, and tbh he eats as he wishes as he isn't bothered either way wether he eats carbs anyway, but still has bread everyday for lunch (sandwich) and has pizza for for an evening meal once a week and fish and chips every Friday.....
Time will tell, but as time goes on he feels better and better he says

Hi Gina, I see. It is a mystery that's for sure. It sorts of sounds more like type 2 (I don't know enough about ZnTr8 though). If your son is eating the same as he did before he got diagnosed as diabetic and right from the word go, you would think that he would still be getting the raised numbers that got him diagnosed in the first place. Weird or what eh! Please keep us posted if you can and thanks for replying. x

 

[Guzzler]

Could you clarify something, please? You state your son is no longer T1 through a regime of diet and excercise but then say he regularly has higher carb meals like fish and chips, and pizza.
You say you do not understand why the shock of diagnosis does not make people jump up immediately to excercise, there are people with Diabetes for whom excercise raises levels and then there are people like me who after not one moment's excercise achieve a lower A1c and steady bg levels through diet alone.

 

[Scimama]

He believes it is due to his strict excercise and following a LCHF diet.
Does anyone believe in lots of excercise and good diet to help with controlling diabtetes, as I've spoken to lots of folk this last 7/8 months who say they or family members who have diabetes don't control it very well and don't excercise at all
I'm so surprised at this, as I thought the shock of diagnose would help them to be strick with everything??

I can't comment on T1, but from my own experience I was repeatedly told by my GP diabetic nurse, all the literature I was provided by my GP surgery, NHS websites, eatwell etc etc ALL insisted that a diet with starchy complex carbs at every meal and low fat diet was essential. So many newly diagnosed diabetics assume that the professionals know best.......... like many adults I have had my entire adult life being brainwashed that fat is bad.
It takes a lot of effort to go against all that "official information". Even after a diabetic is lucky enough to discover this website, they might find that LCHF doesn't work for them.
In my own experience eating to my meter showed me that low carb was definitely working, but it took a long time to get over my brain washed fear of fats.

 

[Gina G]

Hi Gina, I see. It is a mystery that's for sure. It sorts of sounds more like type 2 (I don't know enough about ZnTr8 though). If your son is eating the same as he did before he got diagnosed as diabetic and right from the word go, you would think that he would still be getting the raised numbers that got him diagnosed in the first place. Weird or what eh! Please keep us posted if you can and thanks for replying. x

The weekend he was diagnosed, he was feeling unwell his pal who is a doctor, said his bloods were 17, so got him an appointment asap that morning, but even his pal has said he thinks Son could have had pancreatitis at the time

I will definently keep you informed with it

 

[Gina G]

Could you clarify something, please? You state your son is no longer T1 through a regime of diet and excercise but then say he regularly has higher carb meals like fish and chips, and pizza.
You say you do not understand why the shock of diagnosis does not make people jump up immediately to excercise, there are people with Diabetes for whom excercise raises levels and then there are people like me who after not one moment's excercise achieve a lower A1c and steady bg levels through diet alone.

He excercises and eats a healthy diet, he has fish and chips once a week as a treat and even has on occasions chocolate cake on a weekend
I don't really no what has happened...but they originally said he was type 1, sent him home with a meter to check his blood sugars and to take 10units of insulin at night, he did that for 2/3 nights but had to stop (doctors orders) as he was waking to 2 to 2-5 blood readings and felt awful, and he has had normal readings since, never had a high readings apart from that weekend.
I don't no about how diabetes effects people, all,I know is I am always asking people about how they deal with it, as I'm very interested in it....and imho believe excercise is very inportant....that is all.

 

[Gina G]

Gina - I note you have said a couple of times he was diagnosed, so I get that, but what I am missing in terms of trying to put the picture together, is why he was tested and diagnosed in the first place. Had he become critically ill, or go to the Doc, or something else?

Hi DCUKMod, back in March one weekend been out drinking lots with his pals, felt ill all night, his pal who is a doctor spoke with him the next morning and son told him how he was feeling, he came over and checked son out, and said his bs was 17 and he got him seen at the hospital that morning, hospital checked him out, they stated they thought he could be type1 because my brother is type 1, they sent him home with a meter and 10units of insulin to be taken before bed, which made him drop to low so after 2/3 days he was taken off and has been ok ever since with diet and excercise.
It was a massive wake up call for him to look after himself.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi DCUKMod, back in March one weekend been out drinking lots with his pals, felt ill all night, his pal who is a doctor spoke with him the next morning and son told him how he was feeling, he came over and checked son out, and said his bs was 17 and he got him seen at the hospital that morning, hospital checked him out, they stated they thought he could be type1 because my brother is type 1, they sent him home with a meter and 10units of insulin to be taken before bed, which made him drop to low so after 2/3 days he was taken off and has been ok ever since with diet and excercise.
It was a massive wake up call for him to look after himself.

Thanks Gina, that helped a lot.

I'm not T1, and I have to admit my reading around ZnT8 antibodies could be described as scant, at best, but what I have read is that ZnT8, when found in isolation can point towards T1, or can be a bit of a warning flag. The presence of ZnT8, in isolation of other marker, C-Pep, GAD and IA-2 seems to be a suggestive diagnosis, rather than a definitive one.

Testing for ZnT8 seems to be quite new and not all labs do it. Furthermore in longer established T1, the presence of the antibodies disappears.

Well, that was interesting reading for a Monday morning!

Amongst the papers I scantly read were these:

https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/448003
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/1/104
https://www.diapedia.org/type-1-diabetes-mellitus/2105812817/znt8

And a forum offering up an interesting (although I can't say how absolutely accurate) summary, here: https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/type-1-diabetes-diagnosis-antibody-tests-and-c-peptide/1037

It strikes me vigilance is important for your son. Are his doctors going to routinely test him, say, annually, and has he been given instruction for what to do should thing look to be going pear-shaped?

 

[Gina G]

Thanks Gina, that helped a lot.

I'm not T1, and I have to admit my reading around ZnT8 antibodies could be described as scant, at best, but what I have read is that ZnT8, when found in isolation can point towards T1, or can be a bit of a warning flag. The presence of ZnT8, in isolation of other marker, C-Pep, GAD and IA-2 seems to be a suggestive diagnosis, rather than a definitive one.

Testing for ZnT8 seems to be quite new and not all labs do it. Furthermore in longer established T1, the presence of the antibodies disappears.

Well, that was interesting reading for a Monday morning!

Amongst the papers I scantly read were these:

https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/448003
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/1/104
https://www.diapedia.org/type-1-diabetes-mellitus/2105812817/znt8

And a forum offering up an interesting (although I can't say how absolutely accurate) summary, here: https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/type-1-diabetes-diagnosis-antibody-tests-and-c-peptide/1037

It strikes me vigilance is important for your son. Are his doctors going to routinely test him, say, annually, and has he been given instruction for what to do should thing look to be going pear-shaped?

Hi again DCUK, yes he has been told to check his bloods once a week and to check if he has a heavy meal, also he will still be getting all the normal diabetics check ups and been told to use them all, eyes etc ...
Yes my Son is very vigilant, it has been a massively wake up call
Strange when Son mentioned the ZnTr8 test to Professor Hattersley he didnt seem so interested, just said that his Labs do the testing for it.
As you say it maybe flags up towards type1 ....but who knows really after a couple of years this TnTr8 test might not be as accurate as they say it is only time will tell
I will keep you all fully updated as sons progress with sons progress.

Ps Profressor Hattersley only deals with the odd/funny sides of diabetes he says

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi again DCUK, yes he has been told to check his bloods once a week and to check if he has a heavy meal, also he will still be getting all the normal diabetics check ups and been told to use them all, eyes etc ...
Yes my Son is very vigilant, it has been a massively wake up call
Strange when Son mentioned the ZnTr8 test to Professor Hattersley he didnt seem so interested, just said that his Labs do the testing for it.
As you say it maybe flags up towards type1 ....but who knows really after a couple of years this TnTr8 test might not be as accurate as they say it is only time will tell
I will keep you all fully updated as sons progress with sons progress.

Ps Profressor Hattersley only deals with the odd/funny sides of diabetes he says

I think, from memory, the papers I read talked about a potential likelihood. Whilst this is pre-diabetes for T2, not all those diagnosed with metabolic changes, or even pre-diabetes go on to develop T2. A paper I read, many moons ago (and now simply cannot find - soooo annoying!), suggested that only something like 30% of those diagnosed as pre-diabeticwent on to develop the full blown condition.

Sometimes, a perfect storm seems to happen, leading to some form of apparently random diagnosis. That could be a period of heavy eating/drinking and or other lifestyle challenges can lead to a bit of a metabolic crisis, which might or not ease over time. That last statement is my personal feeling and not necessarily something I have read.