LC, Insulin Shots & "Dia-bulimia"

[Delphoene]

I lived with a type I diabetic for 2 years. She told me that if she ate no carbs, she would not need her insulin, but believed that it was "unhealthy" not to eat carbs.
Is this acurate? Could a type 1 diabetic eliminate the need for insulin all together, by not eating carbs?
Another thing: I am watching Dr Phil right now and he is featuring 2 women with "Dia-bulimia". They are skipping their insulin shots, in order to stay thin -and are bingeing on pizza and lemonade.:(
http://drphil.com/shows/show/999

[Lisa N]

Being type 2 myself, I can't fully speak to the lack of need for insulin for a type 1 with a zero carb diet, but I think it's unlikely to be accurate. She would probably need a lot less, but since a type 1 produces no insulin of their own and the body does require some insulin for a range of processes, I doubt her need would be zero.
Diabulemia is a very real problem among teen diabetics, especially girls, who know that when their blood sugars get very high, they lose weight. Unfortunately, it's a type of Russian roulette since weight loss from high blood sugars is the first sign that diabetic ketoacidosis may be not far away and it doesn't take much to cross that line into a true medical emergency. It's a very dangerous practice.

[MizKitty]

In his book Diabetes Solution by Dr Richard Bernstein, a type I himself for 50+ years, he describes the early days of diabetes, before the discovery of injectable insulin, and how no-carb diets were prescribed as the only way of living more than a few months beyond diagnosis.
But a few months was ultimately all it bought.

So basically the answer is no for the type I who produces no insulin. But some type I's still produce a small amount of insulin. However, not injecting insulin will very likely cause their own pancreas to burn out and stop producing. In other words, they will no doubt get worse.

[Rose1942]

As Lisa and MzKitty have said - your friend was either misinformed or oblivious to her insulin requirements if she is truly a Type 1. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease and these people make little or no insulin at all, therefore the absolute need for injected insulin or they will die within a few months.

Type 2, however is different. The need for insulin is sometimes required, sometimes not, depending on how healthy the person's pancreas is. If their beta cells are pretty much burned out, they will probably need insulin. If they are lucky, and their pancreas (and beta cells) still produce insulin, they may be able to control their diabetes by diet alone. There is no 'one size fits all' here - everyone is different.

Some Type 2's have had great success in controlling or reducing their insulin needs with low carb. I know of a man who was scheduled for gastric bypass surgery, and at the last moment, decided to give low carb a try, much to the objection of his doctors. But he did it, and lost 100 pounds, and eventually went off his insulin. He maintains that state of health after 2 years, but if he were to go back to his old ways, he would become as ill as he was before. This would not work for everyone, but it did for him. For a Type 1, losing all the weight in the world or eating zero carbs forever would not restore their pancreas to health. Are you positive that your friend is indeed Type 1? That could be the case, perhaps she is really Type 2 and confused.

[Nancy LC]

You need insulin to get protein into cells. But maybe she has some insulin production left?

[dboldt]

I cut down on the dosage and my doctor had a fit....my numbers were awful, but I did indeed lost weight. It's diabetic keto acidosis....life threatening. My best friend quit her insulin...lost 100 lbs...died 2 yrs later of kidney failure. Not a good idea.

[Lottadata]

dbolt,

I am so sorry to hear your friend's tragic story.

The things people do to lose weight are truly frightening. It is tragic that our society has made people so phobic about fat that they are willing to amputate their stomachs, give themselves permanent malnutrition syndromes with WLS, and do things like stop their insulin to lose weight.

So sorry your friend had to fall a victim to this.

[Delphoene]

My friend most certainly is type 1. She was diagnosed at age 12 and spent 2 weeks in hospital getting it under control. She has been injecting insulin ever since. She would check her sugar level periodically thoughout the day and would occasionally need some insulin if the reading was too high. Before every meal, she would take a certain ammount of insulin, depending an the carb "portion size" she was about to eat.

[v-effect]

It's quite likely your friend meant that she would need no *fast acting insulin.* However, she would still take her basal- a long acting insulin like Lantus.
Type 1s need a basal insulin, but on a very low carb diet, it is sometimes possible to skip a pre-meal shot and let the basal take care of the blood sugar excursion.

V.

[Rose1942]

Del, okay then ..... your friend is Type 1 for sure. But if she says she would need no insulin if she ate no carbs, and actually tried that, she would be playing a dangerous game I think. You just can't mess with that as a Type 1, according to everything I have ever seen about Type 1's. (That's why I asked you if she could be a Type 2 up there.)