For nearly 8 years I followed the standard medical & Diabetes UK advice regarding diet - a diet based on complex carbohydrates. As predicted my diabetes progressed to the point where I was taking increased metformin & suffering complications. I joined the discussion forum
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum where I read of people's experience in improving control by reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, to the extent of serious disagreement with standard medical advice.
In my experience, this diet change has resulted in a very rapid improvement in general health & reversal of diabetic complications that were ruining my life.
I joined the forum in April this year, when I began to experience intense muscle pain that threatened my mobility & even my driving. I felt that my active life was over, especially as I have been playing tennis at club standard. The pain was particularly intense when I was getting out of bed. My doctor prescribed quinine for cramp, but this had no effect. I think he hoped it wasn't diabetic neuropathy & would go away. I also had the beginning of retinopathy.
I needed to do something, or accept that the progressive nature of diabetes was taking its toll. The doctor considered that my diabetes was adequately controlled with HbA1c of 6.7. My diet was then the recommended low GI, complex carbohydrate diet as recommended by the NHS & Diabetes UK. My wife, as a heart patient, was recommended to follow the same diet.
In May I started a reduction in my carbohydrate consumption, simply reducing them to a small portion – about 1/3 of my previous amount, while increasing my vegetable consumption & to a lesser extent, protein. I ceased to have a supper cereal (Weetabix or Shredded Wheat.) I eat nuts & cheese as snacks.
Immediately my overnight fasting sugars dropped from around 6.7 to around 5.7, my muscle pain started to improve & my weight began to drop. In three months I was fully active again. The pain has gone & my tennis is up to the standard of much younger players. Driving now presents no problems.
Over those three months, my weight dropped from 182 to 168 pounds, my chronic tiredness greatly reduced. Blood tests in August showed a reduction in cholesterol from 5.4 in January to 4.3 & improvements in the lipids profile. My cholesterol at diagnosis was 7.6, so diet alone has reduced the total by 40%. Surprisingly the HBA stayed at 6.8, but that may be early days, with my body using the lost weight to replenish the blood cells. [3 months later HBA=6.4.] My blood pressure dropped from 135/75 to 125/75. I take no medication for cholesterol nor blood pressure. I have reduced the metformin from 3x500 to 2.
There is an internet forum where this is discussed & both scientific considerations & experience are reported. Health professionals make their contributions. There is wide agreement on the forum that the standard advice from Diabetes UK & the NHS is in fact wrong in recommending a diet based on complex carbohydrates.