Long term low carb diet for type 1's

[intentionally]

Hi all

Are there any type 1's in here who have been on this diet long term? What benefits have you noticed? Yes, my blood sugars have improved but my cholesterol has increased which is worrying! Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Wurst]

I was on a strict low carb diet for 3 years (less than 30 grams per day). I too had a cholesterol problem (high LDL) and ended up on statins. It turned out to be a hereditary cholesterol problem so I was never going last long on the LHCF diet.

I dropped the LCHF diet, I still low carb (and low fat) in the day but in the evening I can tolerate more carbs and tend to eat all sorts. My blood sugar has marginally improved since the diet change (last HBA1C was 4.9 %) so I'm sticking to it.

 

[tim2000s]

I'm tagging @robert72 who has been on LCHF for some two and a half years and is type 1. @Jaspreetds, how long have you been on it for? There is a normalisation period on LCHF for those without @Wurst's hypercholesterolemia.

 

[robert72]

hi @Jaspreetds

I have been on a very low carb diet for around 2.5 years and find it the easiest way to control my BG levels.

Unfortunately, my cholesterol is up and my statins have been increased, although I don't subscribe to the cholesterol theory - I'm sure that having uncontrolled BG levels is much more likely to be the cause of endothelial damage.

I'm tagging @donnellysdogs, as she has improved her cholesterol whilst low-carbing by changing her types of fats.

 

[Mrs Vimes]

Hi, I've been lchf for around 3ish years now. My cholesterol is 7.3 but my ratios are good. I have high hdl. My consultant sent a letter to my gp and I got a copy about my annual review. It says that statins are not recommended. I have been prescribed statins for 10 ish years and have never taken them. Before lchf my cholesterol was always in the 5s.
I have to point out every time that I have good hdl figures then I get a oh yes. The DSN squawks every time but last time she was in with the consultant and followed his lead.

 

[alaska]

I'm type 1, 34 yrs old, diagnosed at the end of 1992 and have been on a low carb diet since the beginning of 2010.

My low carb diet has varied between 30g/day through to around 110g/day at different points.

My HbA1c came down from above 9.0% (75 mmol/mol) to 6.0% (42 mmol/mol) within about 2 years.

It actually went down to 5.3% (34 mmol/mol) at one point but I was significantly having more hypos than now.

So 6 years or more down the line I have an HbA1c of 6.0% (42 mmol/mol) and very few hypos.

Low carb has been great for getting rid of nasty 'out of the blue' severe hypos I was having on the classic low fat, high carb diet.

My weight has always been on the low side. Low carb diet saw me initially lose a bit of weight and my body weight has been stable at about 63kg (height: 6 ft) for about the whole duration of my low carb dieting.

My total cholesterol initially steadily rose to 9 mmol/l but then seemed to come down seemingly of its own accord. Total chol is currently something like 5.5 mmol/l.

I was offered statins but resisted them as no research has been conducted on healthy people with type 1 diabetes following a diet low in processed food. General studies on people with type 2 diabetes I don't believe are a representation of my own situation and therefore I don't believe the findings form those studies should be used to provide guidance on how my individual circumstances should be treated.

I have strong HDL levels and my HDL to total cholesterol ratio have always been good even when my total cholesterol was at its highest.

Blood pressure has been good throughout. I get 'white coat syndrome' so BP checks at the doctors are a bit of a roulette. Home checking has shown that BP is no issue for me.

Since the start of 2016 I have moved onto a largely vegetarian diet. This has mainly been to fit in with my partners diet. I've found it relatively easy to switch onto vegetarian. I can say more on low carb and vegetarian diets if anyone is interested.

Any questions about anything, feel free to ask.

Ed

 

[Stefans]

I have been doing a LCHF diet for 1 year and 2 months now, Im type 1 since 35+ years!
My Hba1c have been around 7.9 - 8.0 for years and I have not been able to improve it much.

I started LCHF, in 3 months my HbA1c dropped from 7.9 to 6.5, my doctors response was, your LDL is HIGH, you must take statins! I resisted since my triglycerides and HDL was good or very good. The next check my LDL was back in acceptable levels, still 'high' but enough for my doc not to freak out. My total colesterol was still on the high side, but if you considered all values they where not bad.

As Alaska states, there is no proof that 'high' LDL is bad for you if you are not in the risk zone, and getting your HbA1c down will reduce your risk.

The improvements that I have seen:

* Better HbA1c!
* Less highs
* Less lows, AND when I do have lows I have much less reaction, before I tried to follow the 15 rule, but often ate much more than 15g carb, because I felt so bad and I 'needed' the carbs, this got me high .... now I treat my hypos with 4g sugar or even less and I feel much better (keton power!!)
* I feel more focused, I had not realized how tired you get by yoyo-ing between 15 and 3 mmol/l blood sugar all the time, since I had been doing that for 30+ years I was used to it. Now I feel bad when I reach 8, before 8 was an ok value.
* I lost almost 10kg, no big thing but good for sure.
* I don't feel it, but I'm pretty sure that I have stopped all complications that was catching up with me, I really think/hope that my next eye check will say that the three very small spots that I had have gone away.

Low carb is good for you, keep the good work up!!

 

[ALS]

I was diagnosed Type 1 LADA in May 2015 and went onto insulin within a couple of months. When the Diabetes Clinic dietician showed me how to 'count carbs' I realised that my eating preferences tended to be low, or no, carb anyway. The dietician told me I must have carbs for effective brain function and energy (no evidence of effectiveness provided). I actually had to increase my carb input to meet her recommended daily levels - this made me feel bloated, lacking in energy and I experienced 'brain fog' constantly. After doing my own research I now have a low to no carb diet again with mod to high protein and fat. I understand that a dedicated LCHF regime is better over all but I'm easing my way into the 'high fat' part - I rarely had fat in my pre-LADA diet so have to get used to it. I inject 16U of Lantus daily and minimal NovoRapid and I also walk (a lot) to manage high BG levels. I have lost 17kg since diagnosis and my HbA1c has gone from 90 to 60. It initially went down to 49 within the first months on tablets but went up again when I went onto Lantus and NovoRapid (and ate more carb than I was used to). I'm also feeling fitter and healthier than I have for YEARS - the good side of having the correct diagnosis is also having the correct treatment. My Specialist, Nurse and GP are all recommending statins for high cholesterol - I've asked for the most recent research data on effectiveness for Type 1 diabetes but haven't received anything yet.
Stefans: I hadn't heard of the 15g rule for a low - it makes sense to me because I too tend to overdose on carb when I'm low simply because I develop a sense of panic and anxiety about 'getting BG up again.' I'll try to calm down about this now

 

[Stefans]

@ALS if you are doing low carb you should be able to take much less than 15g, Bernstein recommends 4g I think. But if not it is really really hard, I often took much more before I went low carb because I get so stressed since I'm low, its the adrenaline I think.
Its really called the 15/15 rule.