New study: Exceptional blood-sugar control for type 1 diabetics on low carb

May 7 2018 by in Dr. David Ludwig, New study, Type 1 diabetes

A new study shows that type 1 diabetic patients who go on a low-carb high-protein diet on average achieve truly great results:

It found that children and adults with Type 1 diabetes who followed a very low-carb, high-protein diet for an average of just over two years — combined with the diabetes drug insulin at smaller doses than typically required on a normal diet — had “exceptional” blood sugar control. They had low rates of major complications, and children who followed it for years did not show any signs of impaired growth.

The New York Times: How a low-carb diet might aid people with type 1 diabetes

The patients were all members of the Facebook group Type1Grit…. highly recommended.

Here’s a longer commentary on the study by one of the participating researchers, Dr. David Ludwig:

Is Exceptional Control of Type 1 Diabetes Possible with a Low-Carbohydrate Diet?

Type 1 diabetes

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17 comments

1
Dorothy
May 7 2018 3
Being a type 1 diabetic, it has taken my own researse and experimenting to determine that low-carb high protein is the only way to go
2
Nicole Cassady
May 7 2018
I found this diet to be the best for blood sugar control when I was pregnant. My son is now 1yr and half old and I still continue to eat this way, and have noticed a huge difference in the amount of insulin I take now as opposed to previously! Carbs can be the devil!!
3
Kenneth oldham. Raton, nm. 87740
May 7 2018 1
Best way i found: high protein shakes. Just add a little to a cup, or more, of milk. Mix it in and drink it. No need for a meal. Especially in the middle of the night. Glucose is low, just drink a couple of swallows, full strength, and go back to sleep. Who wants to cook something in the middle of the night. Dont feel like eating in the middle of the day, just a swallow, or 2, of high protein shake, or want to drink more: just add a small amount to milk, mix and drink. These high protein shakes will set you up for hours. Then another swallow, and your good to go again. I am type 3: 1, and 2. Dr error caused me to lose my pancreas; it was gangrene.....cause 5 hospitals couldnt, or didnt, look for gallstones. That locked everything up. Sue no man at the law, so i gratefully accept the life i have been granted. Rather to be afflicted, than condemed. Poor, than lost. Been an experience.
4
Melissa
May 7 2018 2
I didn't think you could live without pancreas?
5
B Lawlis
May 8 2018 2
I didn't either
6
Lisa
May 8 2018
Of course you can live without a pancreas. For type I diabetics our pancreas doesn't work at all. So, removing it would not adversely affect my health.
7
Martie
May 8 2018 2
I feel like this is a huge "Duh" moment.
8
Heather
May 8 2018 3
A type one diabetic still has a semi-functional pancreas there is one cell type missing—the beta cell—which produces insulin. There are other cell types in the pancreas important for digestion including alpha cells. If you don’t have a pancreas you must take more meds than insulin to survive.
9
Penny
May 8 2018
@Kenneth... what are you talking about? I kind of understood the first part about protein shakes, but then you go on about having T3 because you have both T1 and 2, you don't have a pancreas because of gangrene? You're not trolling I hope. You can't live without a pancreas, even if it was gangrenes. Insulin production is just one of it's many functions. T1's still have a working pancreas, it just doesn't make insulin. And there's no such thing as T3, prediabtes, or any of the other stupid terms thrown around. You either have T1 or 2, there's no in between gray area. As for protein shakes, not everyone can tolerate even just "sips*. Glucerna is loaded w sugars and makes some people spike. Everyone is pro high protein, but what if you have renal (kidney) disease? High protein is a big no no.
10
sarah Basson
January 7
my daughter is 27 years. she is under weight 42kg . she is sick the hole time stress so much because she can not keep a work and make a living for her self. alway sick with ketosis. she can not , and we cannot afford the all this food like almond flour and the rest of the extras. I give her chicken or mince or bacon or pork ,and salads and green veg with olive oil and sweet patios. I cook my food in butter all she eats in the morning is 2 eggs and some times bacon. she eat broccoli. spinace . but what do I have to give her that she can gain weight. and let her ketosis go down.

Reply: #11
11
Reply to comment #10 by sarah Basson
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
January 8
Is she a type 1 diabetic? Is she under the care of a doctor?

You can check out our recipes and meal plans on this website. In general though, sweet potatoes are going to be pretty high carb.

Reply: #12
12
Reply to comment #11 by Kristin Parker
sarah Basson
January 8
Thank You for coming back to me. Yes she it type 1, and care of state clinic doctors. So she can only see them 1 s a month. I put her on Keto dieet. her sugar is stable in day time. but go up and down in the night. she got all of symptoms with ketoacidosis. she was before in hospital with it. because of the low carb food yesterday and today , she did not inject herself .Her long working insulin,she is using biosulin N. 10 units in the morning and 25 units evening .

Reply: #14
1 comment removed
14
Reply to comment #12 by sarah Basson
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
January 9
Please make sure to work with a medical professional on this. All the best to you and your daughter.
15
Katie D
February 5
Hi Kristin. Need any help if you have it. I’m also going to go to the endocrinologist but I don’t have an appointment for a month… I’ve been a diabetic for a long time 24 years. I had a baby over a year ago and as of the beginning of the year I said I need to lose this weight… I’m about 30 pounds overweight right now and so I committed to doing a low-carb diet… I’ve even added in some yoga and slight running and walking so I have been a little active as well. I haven’t been active for a while during the holidays I got sort of lazy and wasn’t working out all throughout November and December so basically as of January I cut out all carbs and have added in some exercise. I had a baby over a year ago and as of the beginning of the year I said I need to lose this weight… I’m about 30 pounds overweight right now and so I committed to doing a low-carb diet… I’ve even added in some yoga and slight running and walking so I have been a little active as well. I haven’t been active for a while during the holidays I got sort of lazy and wasn’t working out all throughout November and December so basically as of January I cut out all carbs and have added in some exercise.I’m shocked and also extremely frustrated… I think I’ve lost 1 to 2 pounds over the last month. I have no idea how this is possible I would’ve expected to lose more by now. I was eating pasta and bread and everything and I literally cut all of it out and I’m very knowledgeable about nutrition and I am doing a strict low-carb diet veggies and proteins and fat but not a ton of fat. i’m shocked and also extremely frustrated… I think I’ve lost 1 to 2 pounds over the last month. I have no idea how this is possible I would’ve expected to lose more by now. I was eating pasta and bread and everything and I literally cut all of it out and I’m very knowledgeable about nutrition and I am doing a strict low-carb diet veggies proteins fat but not a ton of fat. The other thing that has been boggling my mind is that I have had some unexplained high blood sugars… I understand that your body can go through ketogenesis a.k.a. Don phenomenon and that definitely happened the first two weeks of January. I would go to bed with a normal blood sugar and I would wake up with a blood sugar of 250 for example. That has sort of gone away for example this morning I went to bed at 120 and I woke up with 95. Since I’ve woken up this morning I’m drinking 2 cups of water and had a cup of black coffee with a sugar-free no carb creamer. I also went for a 2 mile run… To my surprise after my run I looked at my decks, and I am 220 and rising . I have multiple examples of where my basal rate is working… I’m taking 30 units of trust CIBA which is honestly the most I’ve ever taken… After breast-feeding I had to increase it because of my weight my body was a little more resistant to insulin ... Point is my sugars are not even that much lower and I haven’t even had to adjust my basil which in the past when I was on low-carb years ago I definitely had to decrease it because I was running low often… That is not happening and on top of it my sugars are rising without eating anything even with working out! This morning is a perfect example ! It makes no sense the only thing that it could mean is that my basil is not correct but I’m telling you I’ve had many examples of where my basil has proven to be the right amount for example last night went to bed at a very low carb meal I had soup went to bed at 1:30 woke up 95 all night long it was steady so this morning is just a shock for me. Any advice? Its driving myself crazy. Not to mention it’s been really hard this last month doing low-carb with all the cooking I’ve been having to do and I haven’t lost a pound it makes no sense

Reply: #17
16
Katie D
February 5
Trust CIBA = Tresiba (typo)
17
Reply to comment #15 by Katie D
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
February 6
Please see if you can make an earlier appointment with your doctor. We can not give specific advice about blood sugar and medication.
18
Tony Sangster
February 10
Moving from 90 g carbs per day --> 30 to 40 g carbs per day (LCHF) has given me the best diabetes control in my 52 years on insulin. Weight reduced a bit also which helped. I have been on an insulin pump for past 7 years as an 8 plus insulin injections per day was not stopping night hypos. I know that low carb diet are suppressed here in Australia as dietitians (other than in private practice) can be de-registered for prescribing them. It turns out that the Dietitians Association of Australia who registers dietitians for hospital and clinic work has objected to the diet in the past. But DAA has not declared any conflict of interest in doing so, despite DAA being sponsored in part by food companies.
So thank heaven for Dr Bernsteins' book and dietdoctor !!

Type 1 diabetes

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