Question On Diet And Reversing T1 Diabetes

[frannodub]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum so apologies in advance if this question has been previously raised. My 10 year old son has been recently diagnosed with Type 1. My wife has been researching cases online of individuals who were able to reverse their diagnosis through a low carb diet.

I would love to hear from any parents who have tried to introduce this diet to their children and what were the results? My concerns are that such a diet is going to be very restrictive for a 10 year old boy. I'm also worried about how safe it is and the practicalities for every day life. The diet itself is recommended to repair leaky gut and includes bone broth, raw cultured dairy such as kefir, coconut products, fermented vegetables, sprouted seeds, healthy fats, omega 3 and some fruit.

I have reservations that this diet will not fulfill all the nutritional requirements a 10 year old boy will need to grow and also what effect it will have on his mental wellbeing too.

Please share any thoughts you have as this is all very new to us and we just want to do what is best for our little lad.

Thanks

Fran

 

[LooperCat]

Hi and welcome to the forum, tagging @daisy1 for the newbie info pack - most of it is more relevant to type 2 Diabetes, but there’s some useful info for we type ones as well. Onto your query:

You may be able to reverse type two with diet, as it’s a metabolic disorder.

However, T1 is an autoimmune disease, the immune system basically attacks and kills the pancreas. We have to take insulin for life and sadly (as of current medical progress) there is no reversing it. Some initial studies have suggested pancreatic function may be prolonged in the initial phases of failure by insulin therapy as it takes the load off the failing pancreas, but it’s an inevitable progression into complete failure. It’s actually easier to manage once the pancreas has totally packed up, as it’s not spitting random dollops of insulin into the bloodstream when you least expect it. There has been a chap in the press recently who has managed to get rid of his T1 after eight years or so, but he seems to be a genetic one in a gazillion!

I personally follow a very low carb/keto diet to help manage my own T1, alongside my insulin. It really helps avoid major fluctuations in blood sugar levels, but it is very restrictive. I don’t mind that, but then I’m not ten. However, many children (and adults) follow a low carb diet and keep their levels very healthy. I’d recommend looking into the Facebook group “Type One Grit” for more info. I’m a member of this community, and we follow the guidelines in this book by Dr Bernstein, himself a type one of many decades.

But many type 1s eat a regular diet and dose insulin accordingly, and manage quite happily that way.

It’s all a case of working out a way of managing your kiddo’s T1 in a way that keeps him healthy and that you can live with as a family. Ask as many questions as you like in the forum, we’ve a wide range of T1s and parents who all manage our diabetes in different ways, so there’ll be loads of advice and ideas for things to try.

 

[urbanracer]

Firstly, welcome to the forums.

The generally accepted wisdom surrounding T1 diabetes is that a virus of some sort has casued the immune system to start attacking the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. T1 Diabetes is therefore not (currently) viewed as a reversible disease.

Many of us here have seen all the internet has to offer regarding the promises of reversing T1 but it is by and large - pure bunkum. I obviously appreciate your desparation in wanting to do everyhting you can to cure your son and there is some promising research going on which may yield results during your son's lifetime, but any 'cure' is more likely to come from established medical science and is still years away.

Please believe me when I say that if T1 could be cured with "kefir, coconut products, fermented vegetables, sprouted seeds, healthy fats, omega 3 and some fruit" we'd all be doing it rather than 'suffer' the daily ritual of testing and injections. I'm no doctor, but in my humble opinion giving that diet to a 10 yr old is likely to do more harm than good.

Regards
Urb'

 

[EllieM]

My wife has been researching cases online of individuals who were able to reverse their diagnosis through a low carb diet.

No, just no. Aside from the guy with weird genetics who's already been mentioned, there are no T1s who've reversed their illness. There are unfortunately multiple T1 children who've died because their parents have elected to give them some sort of faith healing rather than insulin. Some T2s have reversed their diabetes through diet, but this is a completely different illness (insulin resistance instead of insulin destruction).

100 years ago all T1s died: their only hope was to adopt a starvation diet in the hope that it would keep them alive until a cure was discovered. Now we not only have insulin but we also have fantastic blood testing equipment, so diabetics have better health outcomes than ever. Injections and blood tests and carbohydrate counting may seem like a pain (OK, it's not fun), but you'd be amazed how quickly a child can get used to them. (I was 8 when diagnosed 48 years ago and had my booklet of carbohydrate values memorised before I was 10.)

Good luck, if you need help there is also parents' forum on this site and there are always folk to answer your questions.

 

[Resurgam]

It is great that you want to do all that you can do to help - but helping to sort out his insulin use and keep meals regular, on time and with about the same amount of carbohydrate you'll be doing a lot to help him to manage. Not overdoing the carbs from 'junk' foods, more veges and fruit with more meat might be a good thing - my son is a foot taller than me and not inclined at all to plumpness as I have tended to low carb eating for decades and he grew like a weed on it - my daughter is also tall and slender, so I think that way of eating is a better option even for normals.
As a type two I tend to produce too much insulin, for a type one the problem is too little, and so the two types require different treatment and diet. Low carb can help, but not cure the lack of insulin. In the early days - the honeymoon period - it can mean making more adjustments, from what I have read, so it can seem to be troublesome - but the low carb diet seems to be an antidote to the sometimes dreadful foods that young people eat these days. I very much doubt that the 'leaky gut' regime will be much help at all, I'm afraid.

 

[prancer53]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum so apologies in advance if this question has been previously raised. My 10 year old son has been recently diagnosed with Type 1. My wife has been researching cases online of individuals who were able to reverse their diagnosis through a low carb diet.

I would love to hear from any parents who have tried to introduce this diet to their children and what were the results? My concerns are that such a diet is going to be very restrictive for a 10 year old boy. I'm also worried about how safe it is and the practicalities for every day life. The diet itself is recommended to repair leaky gut and includes bone broth, raw cultured dairy such as kefir, coconut products, fermented vegetables, sprouted seeds, healthy fats, omega 3 and some fruit.

I have reservations that this diet will not fulfill all the nutritional requirements a 10 year old boy will need to grow and also what effect it will have on his mental wellbeing too.

Please share any thoughts you have as this is all very new to us and we just want to do what is best for our little lad.

Thanks

Fran

Sorry but after having had type 1 for 57 years I can state, through practice, that no matter what is eaten it will need insulin to metabolise for the body's energy. Type 1 is autoimmune & there is no way to reverse it. All comments about reversal refer to type 2 (and this was how type 2 was always treated 40 years ago, by low carb diet and no meds which were only introduced if someone couldn't stick to their diet so ended up with too high blood sugars.....docs were aware that older people with type 2 had difficulty changing eating habits so decided on a more liberal way of eating that included medication ---this was during the late 1970 s/ 1980 s). The best thing for your son is to keep BM s within normal range, & understand food exchanges, which will mean he will be healthy, will have normal levels of energy, will be able to do anything he wants & when he wants. As testament: I trained, full time, as a dancer & worked professionally as a dancer in the Italian Operette Company & with many well known celebrities in the UK. After I married I joined an advertising firm & was one of their top revenue producers---downside was that I worked a 75 hour week for 10 years!! I then had 2 children....both of whom were normal birth weights (7 lbs & 6.6 lbs respectively when mothers with diabetes often produced heavier than normal babies). After both went to secondary school I went to university & graduated with a good degree at 50 years of age and then did a years post graduate teacher training & became a secondary school teacher. (During the school holidays I also worked for Cunard & P&O delivering & organising youth activities). I retired very recently and am now enjoying many projects which I didn't have time for before. Your son will be able to do anything he sets his mind to now he has been diagnosed.

 

[prancer53]

No, just no. Aside from the guy with weird genetics who's already been mentioned, there are no T1s who've reversed their illness. There are unfortunately multiple T1 children who've died because their parents have elected to give them some sort of faith healing rather than insulin. Some T2s have reversed their diabetes through diet, but this is a completely different illness (insulin resistance instead of insulin destruction).

100 years ago all T1s died: their only hope was to adopt a starvation diet in the hope that it would keep them alive until a cure was discovered. Now we not only have insulin but we also have fantastic blood testing equipment, so diabetics have better health outcomes than ever. Injections and blood tests and carbohydrate counting may seem like a pain (OK, it's not fun), but you'd be amazed how quickly a child can get used to them. (I was 8 when diagnosed 48 years ago and had my booklet of carbohydrate values memorised before I was 10.)

Good luck, if you need help there is also parents' forum on this site and there are always folk to answer your questions.

When I was about 10 my Grandmother suggested a faith healer & my mother went along with it: I had to stop insulin & have daily baths in vinegar (??????). After 2/3 days I begged to start insulin again because my energy was depleted, had a funny taste in my mouth & needed to go for a wee every 30 minutes.......just an aside.....!!!!

 

[Dodo]

When I was about 10 my Grandmother suggested a faith healer & my mother went along with it: I had to stop insulin & have daily baths in vinegar (??????). After 2/3 days I begged to start insulin again because my energy was depleted, had a funny taste in my mouth & needed to go for a wee every 30 minutes.......just an aside.....!!!!

Your grandmother sounds like mine. She almost convinced my mother that the doctors were only experimenting on me and she should stop my injections. Thank goodness my father had more sense.

 

[therower]

@prancer53 . After reading your post #6 I feel that I really need to ask for your autograph .
A wonderful post.
Thank you.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi @frannodub and welcome to the forum,

When diabetes arrives in our lives, either for ourselves or our loved ones, there is a huge amount of new information - and one of the most difficult things is distinguishing between real and fake advice, and the difference between the different types of diabetes, whether they are 1, 2, 3 (in all its variations), insipidus, and others...

A lot of the information you will encounter will be about the other types, since type 1s only make up around 10% of people with diabetes. So every piece of information you encounter (whether here or elsewhere) needs to be filtered through a series of questions:
Does this info apply to T1?
Is it reputable?
Is it too good to be true?
Is this some wacky moneymaking scam on the internet by someone who is selling exactly the ‘right’ herbs and supplements needed for this ‘cure’?
And so on...

At the moment, your best action is to do what any loving parent would do - apply a lot of common sense scepticism and check up on every piece of advice you get with other sources.

I strongly urge you to automatically dismiss any diabetic info that offers a ‘cure’, ‘remission’ or ‘reversal’.
Just dismiss them.
They are either talking about type 2 diabetes, or they are trying to scam you. And sometimes, they are trying to scam the T2s, too!

 

[Alexandra100]

I have reservations that this diet will not fulfill all the nutritional requirements a 10 year old boy will need to grow and also what effect it will have on his mental wellbeing too.

IMO you would be much safer with the low carb highish protein diet recommended by Dr Bernstein, which has stood the test of time. There is a group on Facebook who are raising diabetic children following his diet with a lot of success. He is very aware of the need to avoid stunting growth with too restrictive a diet.
https://en-gb.facebook.com/Type1Grit/
You can also read a lot about and by Dr Bernstein on his site:
http://www.diabetes-book.com

 

[karen8967]

Sorry but after having had type 1 for 57 years I can state, through practice, that no matter what is eaten it will need insulin to metabolise for the body's energy. Type 1 is autoimmune & there is no way to reverse it. All comments about reversal refer to type 2 (and this was how type 2 was always treated 40 years ago, by low carb diet and no meds which were only introduced if someone couldn't stick to their diet so ended up with too high blood sugars.....docs were aware that older people with type 2 had difficulty changing eating habits so decided on a more liberal way of eating that included medication ---this was during the late 1970 s/ 1980 s). The best thing for your son is to keep BM s within normal range, & understand food exchanges, which will mean he will be healthy, will have normal levels of energy, will be able to do anything he wants & when he wants. As testament: I trained, full time, as a dancer & worked professionally as a dancer in the Italian Operette Company & with many well known celebrities in the UK. After I married I joined an advertising firm & was one of their top revenue producers---downside was that I worked a 75 hour week for 10 years!! I then had 2 children....both of whom were normal birth weights (7 lbs & 6.6 lbs respectively when mothers with diabetes often produced heavier than normal babies). After both went to secondary school I went to university & graduated with a good degree at 50 years of age and then did a years post graduate teacher training & became a secondary school teacher. (During the school holidays I also worked for Cunard & P&O delivering & organising youth activities). I retired very recently and am now enjoying many projects which I didn't have time for before. Your son will be able to do anything he sets his mind to now he has been diagnosed.

Just wow

 

[frannodub]

Thank you so much. All very helpful contributions and it is reassuring for us to know there is a supportive and knowledgable community out there on this forum. You have all been very welcoming and and we are very grateful for your comments and insights as we try and work out the best way forward for our son.

 

[JohnEGreen]

No, just no. Aside from the guy with weird genetics who's already been mentioned, there are no T1s who've reversed their illness. There are unfortunately multiple T1 children who've died because their parents have elected to give them some sort of faith healing rather than insulin. Some T2s have reversed their diabetes through diet, but this is a completely different illness (insulin resistance instead of insulin destruction).

100 years ago all T1s died: their only hope was to adopt a starvation diet in the hope that it would keep them alive until a cure was discovered. Now we not only have insulin but we also have fantastic blood testing equipment, so diabetics have better health outcomes than ever. Injections and blood tests and carbohydrate counting may seem like a pain (OK, it's not fun), but you'd be amazed how quickly a child can get used to them. (I was 8 when diagnosed 48 years ago and had my booklet of carbohydrate values memorised before I was 10.)

Good luck, if you need help there is also parents' forum on this site and there are always folk to answer your questions.

That guy with the weird genetics is now on the site and you could discuss the matter with him directly.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

That guy with the weird genetics is now on the site and you could discuss the matter with him directly.

Here:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/dan-darkes-type-1-diabetes-reversal.153777/

 

[Circuspony]

I agree with everything the above posters have said - if T1 was reversible through diet then most of us would leap at the chance.

I also think for children the more restrictive the diet they are on then the more likely they are to break from it at somepoint and go off the rails with managing their diabetes. My friend didn't feed her daughter any differently from the rest of the family, so her daughter learnt early on how to manage a lot of different foods. That meant she then didn't really feel the need to rebel against it in her teenage years, which is when a lot of the long term damage can be done sadly.

 

[Resurgam]

I just realized that the strange selection of foods you listed was what you thought was required for a low carb diet.
Er - no - no way.
My take on a low carb diet is Atkins - done as described by Dr Atkins in New Diet Revolution, the last edition.
I have been eating low carb since the early 1970s - with periods of lapsing back to a 'normal' diet due to the extreme opposition from my doctors.
meat or fish with low carb vegetables in abundance with small amounts of lower carb fruits is the regime in a nutshell - oh yes, nuts too, and cheese, and eggs - it is no way restrictive except of things not required for good health.

 

[Circuspony]

I just realized that the strange selection of foods you listed was what you thought was required for a low carb diet.
Er - no - no way.
My take on a low carb diet is Atkins - done as described by Dr Atkins in New Diet Revolution, the last edition.
I have been eating low carb since the early 1970s - with periods of lapsing back to a 'normal' diet due to the extreme opposition from my doctors.
meat or fish with low carb vegetables in abundance with small amounts of lower carb fruits is the regime in a nutshell - oh yes, nuts too, and cheese, and eggs - it is no way restrictive except of things not required for good health.

But unnecessary for a T1 to go down this route as they can - and should - learn to manage their carb intake with insulin. If the son at some point in the future choose low carb then that's fine, but learning how to match carb intake to insulin dosages is critical.

 

[LooperCat]

But unnecessary for a T1 to go down this route as they can - and should - learn to manage their carb intake with insulin. If the son at some point in the future choose low carb then that's fine, but learning how to match carb intake to insulin dosages is critical.

It’s an absolutely essential skill. Once you’ve mastered that, you can fiddle about with your carb intake to your heart’s content. But you need to be able to carb count and dose properly - sometimes the only food available will be a carbfest.

 

[Resurgam]

The OP is asking about a newly diagnosed child they were thinking of putting on a strange diet which they thought was low carb and also might reverse type one diabetes - I was only explaining what low carb is, and encouraging the use of insulin with regular meals and regular carb counting, though I did throw in a plug for the benefits of a low carb way of eating for the growing of tall slender offspring of any sort.
Yes, an experienced type one can eat whatever and make adjustments on the fly - but the OP is a parent with a newly diagnosed child - and only the second message to the forum.