Hacker News Reader

Comment by e40 | Hacker News Reader

I have a relative that is type 1. A couple of years ago he went on a no carb diet and at xmas he was telling me that he now uses a lot less insulin and generally feels a lot better. He also lost some weight (he wasn't obese, either, but he now looks very trim).

Have you tried something like that?

View on HN

I know you mean well, but managing this sort of thing is something that's extremely different from person to person, very hard to get right, and often a source of great personal pain for people trying and failing. Please refrain or be extremely cautious about enthusiastically telling everyone what worked for your relative.

While I agree it's worth being cautious about how you phrase any "advice", I think the parent post was perfectly reasonable. There was something that worked well for someone he knew, and he mentioned it in case it might help.

For context, I've been a Type 1 diabetic since around '85 and, as I get older, I'm becoming more insulin resistant (Type 2) also. While I've been able to keep my blood sugar mostly under control, I test my blood 4-10 times a day and sometimes need to take insulin 5+ times in a single day (sometimes it just doesn't "work" and I need to take more in smaller amounts to bring my blood sugar down. I can't just retake the original amount in case the first shot suddenly "kicks in").

Type I diabetes is a complex condition where restricting carbohydrates may not necessarily reduce hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) events. There is a dangerous downside counterbalancing the negligible benefits. The dieter significantly increases their risk of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Serious symptoms of hypoglycemia include heart palpitations, dizziness and coma.

I'm guessing a no carb diet could also imply high protein, to replace the carbohydrate calories. Too much protein (>20% of calories) is bad for Type I diabetics leading to a state known as microalbuminuria. In layman's terms: increased stress on your kidneys. More on this at: http://journal.diabetes.org/diabetesspectrum/00v13n3/pg132.h...

In summary, almost every (if not every) diabetes publication & specialist advises heavily against low/no carb diets, instead recommending a balanced diet.

I have T1 diabetes. Your post would create the impression that it's possible to do without insulin just by changing diet. The reality is that going without insulin is lethal in just a few days, and dietary changes can only reduce usage by a little.

I didn't mean to imply my relative went insulin free. He definitely did not. Based on the replies, I realize I probably shouldn't have posted what I did. I was trying to be helpful, but I'm no expert in this, so I should have stayed out of it.

Insulin goes bad about 30 days after first use. Pretty much all diabetics need to buy a vial or two every month, no matter if you've used it all or not.

Think of it like keeping milk stocked in your fridge. Even if you spread it out to last more than a month, the remaining half will go bad before you got to it.

So although changing diet and increasing physical activity may reduce insulin requirements in both type 2 and type 1 (as several people have anecdotally shared here), you can see how it doesn't avoid buying insulin every month.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com