Today I have again been told that a Low(er) Carbohydrate 'Way Of Eating' isn't suitable for Type 1 diabetics.
Why is this when DCUK, DietDoctor, Diabetes.org/uk and Endocrinology.org all say that it may be suitable for a Type 1 diabetes patient?
It is so frustrating to be told that as a T2D and a TOFI, any opinion I have about Type 1 is effectively worthless. As though I can't research Type 1 as well as I do Type 2 just because I don't actually have Type1
5 min worth of looking for references yielded these links from which I have each quoted a small relevant section ( note that for ease of seeing the relevance I have bolded some phrases and sentences - my bolding, not theirs).:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325195.php
How do carbs affect diabetes?
A low-carb diet may be one of the most effective diabetes management strategies, especially for people who might be able to avoid medication.
Carbs elevate blood glucose more than any other food. For people with insulin resistance, blood glucose may remain elevated for hours after eating carbs.
For those with type 1 diabetes who do not produce enough insulin, carbs can also cause blood glucose spikes,
so a low-carb diet may help people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Carbs can also affect a person's health in other ways. Carb-rich foods tend to be high in calories but low in
some important nutrients, such as protein. Eating too many of these "empty calories" can lead to weight gain.
Research shows that people who eat carb-rich foods may also feel more hunger between meals, causing them to overeat.
A low-carb diet may also:
give a person more energy
lower average blood glucose, or HbA1c levels
reduce food cravings, especially for sugar
lower the risk of hypoglycemia
aid weight loss efforts
decrease the risk of long-term diabetes complications
lower cholesterol
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans-/low-carb
About low-carb diets
A low-carb diet is generally defined as below 130g of carbohydrate a day.
This low-carb meal plan aims to help you maintain a healthy, balanced diet while reducing the amount of carbs you eat.
Varying amounts of carbohydrate are shown each day to help you choose which works best for you. You might want to use
it to lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight.
If you're overweight, finding a way to lose weight can help you reduce your risk of complications.
There are different ways of doing this, and the low-carb diet is just one option. Other options include the
Mediterranean diet.
And if you have Type 2 diabetes, we now know that aiming for 15kg weight loss (especially nearer to your diagnosis)
can improve your chances of putting your Type 2 diabetes into remission.
If you have Type 1 diabetes, it's important to know that the best way to keep your blood sugar levels steady is to
carb count rather than following a particular diet.
It's important to know that if you treat your diabetes with insulin or any other medication that puts you at risk of
hypos (low blood sugar levels), following a low-carb diet may increase this risk.
Speak to your healthcare team about this so they can help you adjust your medications to reduce your risk of hypos.
Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, you might need to lose, gain or maintain your current weight but it’s
important to make healthier food choices while you’re doing this. Research suggests that the best type of diet is
one that you can maintain in the long term, so it's important to talk to your healthcare professional about what
you think will work for you.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-and-type1-diabetes.html
Low-carbohydrate diets can be very beneficial for people with type 1 diabetes
Reducing carbohydrate intake can help to largely eliminate the spikes and crashes in sugar levels that are common on higher carb diets.
Whilst low-carb diets may not be for everyone, those that maintain the diet tend to achieve very good blood glucose control and enjoy
a renewed sense of confidence and well-being.
HOW LOW-CARB DIETS IMPROVE CONTROL
A pioneer in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets for type 1 diabetes is engineer-turned-physician Dr. Richard K. Bernstein.
Low-carb diets can also help children that are overweight to lose weight and reduce the risk of developing chronic health problems including type 2 diabetes and heart problems.
Bernstein’s approach is based around his ‘law of small numbers’ which states that that smaller doses of insulin will result in smaller errors of judgment and therefore improved blood glucose control
To illustrate his approach, if you inject 10 units of insulin to cover your lunch but make up to a 25% error, you could end up injecting up to 2.5 units too many or too few which could lead to much too high or low blood sugar levels
By contrast an injection of 4 units of insulin with the same error would result in on over- or under-dose of up to 1 unit.
In this case, any error won’t be as problematic or dangerous as it would be for the 10-unit dose.
BENEFITS
Prevents sharp spikes in blood glucose after meals
Reduces risk of severe hypos
Can make diabetes easier to manage
Can help reduce HbA1c levels
Can help reduce body weight
May help prevent diabetes complications
Other benefits can include
Reduction in tiredness through the day
Less hunger between meals
Improvement in clarity of thought
Can help skin complexion
https://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes/type-1
Type 1 diabetes – how to control your blood sugar with fewer carbs
By Franziska Spritzler, RDFranziska Spritzler, RD, medical review by Dr. David Cavan, MDDr. David Cavan, MD – Updated October 9, 2019 Evidence based
Type 1 diabetes – previously called “juvenile-onset diabetes” – results when the body is no longer able to produce the hormone insulin.
Insulin keeps blood glucose (sugar) levels under control by transferring glucose from the blood vessels into the body’s cells, where it is used as energy.
Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin injections.
The more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin will need to be injected. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, studies and experience have shown that low-carb diets can be beneficial for people with type 1 diabetes.1
The main benefits are preventing blood glucose spikes after meals and reducing the risk of low glucose levels (hypoglycemia).
This makes it easier to maintain stable and near-normal blood glucose levels.
However, there are special considerations that people with type 1 diabetes need to be aware of when adopting a low carb diet.
So here is our guide to low-carb diets in type 1 diabetes.
https://www.endocrinology.org/endoc...w-carb-diet-shows-promise-in-type-1-diabetes/
Very-low-carb diet shows promise in type 1 diabetes
In results taken from an online patient survey, Lennerz et al. identified the potential for very-low-carbohydrate diets to improve blood sugar control in type 1 diabetes.
The survey respondents reported an average daily carbohydrate intake of 36g, or about 5% of total calories.
(As a comparison, the American Diabetes Association recommends that about 45% of calories come from carbohydrates.)
Respondents reported using lower-than-average doses of insulin, and reported positive measures of insulin sensitivity and cardiometabolic health, such as low triglyceride levels and high HDL cholesterol levels.
Safety concerns have been raised about very-low-carbohydrate diets in type 1 diabetes, in particular an increased risk of hypoglycaemia.
However, the survey respondents reported rates of hospitalisation for hypoglycaemia (1%), diabetic ketoacidosis (2%) and other diabetes complications that were lower than those generally reported for type 1 diabetes populations.
More than 80% of survey respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their diabetes management.
The researchers are now calling for controlled clinical trials of this approach.
Read the full article in Pediatrics doi:10.1542/peds.2017-3349.
Why is this when DCUK, DietDoctor, Diabetes.org/uk and Endocrinology.org all say that it may be suitable for a Type 1 diabetes patient?
It is so frustrating to be told that as a T2D and a TOFI, any opinion I have about Type 1 is effectively worthless. As though I can't research Type 1 as well as I do Type 2 just because I don't actually have Type1
5 min worth of looking for references yielded these links from which I have each quoted a small relevant section ( note that for ease of seeing the relevance I have bolded some phrases and sentences - my bolding, not theirs).:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325195.php
How do carbs affect diabetes?
A low-carb diet may be one of the most effective diabetes management strategies, especially for people who might be able to avoid medication.
Carbs elevate blood glucose more than any other food. For people with insulin resistance, blood glucose may remain elevated for hours after eating carbs.
For those with type 1 diabetes who do not produce enough insulin, carbs can also cause blood glucose spikes,
so a low-carb diet may help people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Carbs can also affect a person's health in other ways. Carb-rich foods tend to be high in calories but low in
some important nutrients, such as protein. Eating too many of these "empty calories" can lead to weight gain.
Research shows that people who eat carb-rich foods may also feel more hunger between meals, causing them to overeat.
A low-carb diet may also:
give a person more energy
lower average blood glucose, or HbA1c levels
reduce food cravings, especially for sugar
lower the risk of hypoglycemia
aid weight loss efforts
decrease the risk of long-term diabetes complications
lower cholesterol
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans-/low-carb
About low-carb diets
A low-carb diet is generally defined as below 130g of carbohydrate a day.
This low-carb meal plan aims to help you maintain a healthy, balanced diet while reducing the amount of carbs you eat.
Varying amounts of carbohydrate are shown each day to help you choose which works best for you. You might want to use
it to lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight.
If you're overweight, finding a way to lose weight can help you reduce your risk of complications.
There are different ways of doing this, and the low-carb diet is just one option. Other options include the
Mediterranean diet.
And if you have Type 2 diabetes, we now know that aiming for 15kg weight loss (especially nearer to your diagnosis)
can improve your chances of putting your Type 2 diabetes into remission.
If you have Type 1 diabetes, it's important to know that the best way to keep your blood sugar levels steady is to
carb count rather than following a particular diet.
It's important to know that if you treat your diabetes with insulin or any other medication that puts you at risk of
hypos (low blood sugar levels), following a low-carb diet may increase this risk.
Speak to your healthcare team about this so they can help you adjust your medications to reduce your risk of hypos.
Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, you might need to lose, gain or maintain your current weight but it’s
important to make healthier food choices while you’re doing this. Research suggests that the best type of diet is
one that you can maintain in the long term, so it's important to talk to your healthcare professional about what
you think will work for you.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-and-type1-diabetes.html
Low-carbohydrate diets can be very beneficial for people with type 1 diabetes
Reducing carbohydrate intake can help to largely eliminate the spikes and crashes in sugar levels that are common on higher carb diets.
Whilst low-carb diets may not be for everyone, those that maintain the diet tend to achieve very good blood glucose control and enjoy
a renewed sense of confidence and well-being.
HOW LOW-CARB DIETS IMPROVE CONTROL
A pioneer in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets for type 1 diabetes is engineer-turned-physician Dr. Richard K. Bernstein.
Low-carb diets can also help children that are overweight to lose weight and reduce the risk of developing chronic health problems including type 2 diabetes and heart problems.
Bernstein’s approach is based around his ‘law of small numbers’ which states that that smaller doses of insulin will result in smaller errors of judgment and therefore improved blood glucose control
To illustrate his approach, if you inject 10 units of insulin to cover your lunch but make up to a 25% error, you could end up injecting up to 2.5 units too many or too few which could lead to much too high or low blood sugar levels
By contrast an injection of 4 units of insulin with the same error would result in on over- or under-dose of up to 1 unit.
In this case, any error won’t be as problematic or dangerous as it would be for the 10-unit dose.
BENEFITS
Prevents sharp spikes in blood glucose after meals
Reduces risk of severe hypos
Can make diabetes easier to manage
Can help reduce HbA1c levels
Can help reduce body weight
May help prevent diabetes complications
Other benefits can include
Reduction in tiredness through the day
Less hunger between meals
Improvement in clarity of thought
Can help skin complexion
https://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes/type-1
Type 1 diabetes – how to control your blood sugar with fewer carbs
By Franziska Spritzler, RDFranziska Spritzler, RD, medical review by Dr. David Cavan, MDDr. David Cavan, MD – Updated October 9, 2019 Evidence based
Type 1 diabetes – previously called “juvenile-onset diabetes” – results when the body is no longer able to produce the hormone insulin.
Insulin keeps blood glucose (sugar) levels under control by transferring glucose from the blood vessels into the body’s cells, where it is used as energy.
Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin injections.
The more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin will need to be injected. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, studies and experience have shown that low-carb diets can be beneficial for people with type 1 diabetes.1
The main benefits are preventing blood glucose spikes after meals and reducing the risk of low glucose levels (hypoglycemia).
This makes it easier to maintain stable and near-normal blood glucose levels.
However, there are special considerations that people with type 1 diabetes need to be aware of when adopting a low carb diet.
So here is our guide to low-carb diets in type 1 diabetes.
https://www.endocrinology.org/endoc...w-carb-diet-shows-promise-in-type-1-diabetes/
Very-low-carb diet shows promise in type 1 diabetes
In results taken from an online patient survey, Lennerz et al. identified the potential for very-low-carbohydrate diets to improve blood sugar control in type 1 diabetes.
The survey respondents reported an average daily carbohydrate intake of 36g, or about 5% of total calories.
(As a comparison, the American Diabetes Association recommends that about 45% of calories come from carbohydrates.)
Respondents reported using lower-than-average doses of insulin, and reported positive measures of insulin sensitivity and cardiometabolic health, such as low triglyceride levels and high HDL cholesterol levels.
Safety concerns have been raised about very-low-carbohydrate diets in type 1 diabetes, in particular an increased risk of hypoglycaemia.
However, the survey respondents reported rates of hospitalisation for hypoglycaemia (1%), diabetic ketoacidosis (2%) and other diabetes complications that were lower than those generally reported for type 1 diabetes populations.
More than 80% of survey respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their diabetes management.
The researchers are now calling for controlled clinical trials of this approach.
Read the full article in Pediatrics doi:10.1542/peds.2017-3349.
