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Hi Peter,

Good to hear that you got great results from your tests.

I wonder though, at this point, do you say that you once had diabetes
T2 or do you say you are diabetic but control it through dieting?

In other words, can low carb reverse diabetes?

ronit wrote:
| Hi Peter,
|
| Good to hear that you got great results from your tests.
|
| I wonder though, at this point, do you say that you once had diabetes
| T2 or do you say you are diabetic but control it through dieting?
|
| In other words, can low carb reverse diabetes?


Good question.

I'm brand new to diabetes since my diagnosis one month ago, so I don't fully
understand what the implications of everything are. I've read it implied in
previous posts here and in alt.support.diabetes that once you are diabetic,
you have it for life. But I did ask my doctor about "Syndrome X," of which
she is fully familiar and equates with T2. However, she said that my high
hba1c indicates more than Syndrome X - - but that it's possible that if I
can control it with diet only -- and if my fasting BG and hba1c are normal
when I return for my next follow-up, I would be considered by the test
results at that time to be not diabetic.

To me, it's really just a matter of symantics. If it takes a lifetime
low-carb way of eating to keep BG and hba1c normal, I can live with that,
and it doesn't matter if it's just helping the symptoms or if I really will
be considered not diabetic. The bottom line is pretty much the same.
Hopefully there are people who will read this who can anmswer the question
better.
--
Peter
website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo

Peter,

As I understand it, people who are not on medications like cortisone usually
don't achieve diabetic-level blood sugars until they have lost a significant
number of beta cells (the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin). Beta
cells do not appear to regenerate, so once those beta cells are gone, your
capacity for producing insulin goes way, way down. So even losing weight is
not going to reverse your diabetes.

But you can control diabetes through diet by reducing the need for insulin
(via low carbing or the use of drugs that slow carb digestion like Precose)
and by reducing insulin resistance (by exercise and/or drugs like
metformin.) But as soon as you eat foods or adopt a lifesytle that
increases the demand for insulin, you will outpace your remaining pancreas
cells and display diabetic blood sugars again.

There's an ugly death spiral hidden he high blood sugar is what kills
pancreas cells, so as they start failing, the rising blood sugars that resut
hasten the beta cells' demise. That means that you can't ever get sloppy
without expecting your condition to worsen.

But if you can maintain normal blood sugar levels via diet, it may be
possible to prevent further damage.
I'm heading in year 6 of controlling my diabetes via diet and, lately, some
exercise. My fasting and post meal numbers are still solidly on the
borderline between normal and impaired glucose tolerance and nowhere near
the diagnostic standard for diabetes. Only my glucose tolerance test results
would reveal that I'm fully diabetic.

The big, unanswered question is can I maintain my poor old beat up pancrea
cells at this level indefinitely? Since there are zero studies conducted
where people maintained near-normal blood sugar levels for long periods of
time there is no way to answer this question. Bernstein says "yes." I'm
betting he's right!


--Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.2.
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm



marengo wrote in message
s.com...
ronit wrote:
| Hi Peter,
|
| Good to hear that you got great results from your tests.
|
| I wonder though, at this point, do you say that you once had diabetes
| T2 or do you say you are diabetic but control it through dieting?
|
| In other words, can low carb reverse diabetes?


Good question.

I'm brand new to diabetes since my diagnosis one month ago, so I don't
fully
understand what the implications of everything are. I've read it implied
in
previous posts here and in alt.support.diabetes that once you are
diabetic,
you have it for life. But I did ask my doctor about "Syndrome X," of
which
she is fully familiar and equates with T2. However, she said that my high
hba1c indicates more than Syndrome X - - but that it's possible that if I
can control it with diet only -- and if my fasting BG and hba1c are
normal
when I return for my next follow-up, I would be considered by the test
results at that time to be not diabetic.

To me, it's really just a matter of symantics. If it takes a lifetime
low-carb way of eating to keep BG and hba1c normal, I can live with that,
and it doesn't matter if it's just helping the symptoms or if I really
will
be considered not diabetic. The bottom line is pretty much the same.
Hopefully there are people who will read this who can anmswer the question
better.
--
Peter
website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo

Jenny wrote:
| Peter,
|
| As I understand it, people who are not on medications like cortisone
| usually don't achieve diabetic-level blood sugars until they have lost a
| significant number of beta cells (the cells in the pancreas that secrete
| insulin). | http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

snip

Thanks for the valuable infor Jenny, it's pretty much what I thought.

The only question I still have remaining is the fact that for the past three
years I have been taking two medications that I've recently learned can
raise blood sugar levels: Atenolol (beta blocker) and Maxzide
(potassium-sparing diuretic). I don't know if the effects on BG of either
of those medications can be reversed if I stop taking them, or if they cause
some type of permanent damage that I'll just have to live with. (I'm still
taking the Atenolol -- which I hope to stop soon -- but am off the Maxzide
now). I have a lot of research to do.
--
Peter
website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo

Jenny, there's a lot of interesting information in your post. You
might want to add this to your website. I still visit your site for
these special tidbits.

thanks!


"Jenny" wrote in message ...
Peter,

As I understand it, people who are not on medications like cortisone usually
don't achieve diabetic-level blood sugars until they have lost a significant
number of beta cells (the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin). Beta
cells do not appear to regenerate, so once those beta cells are gone, your
capacity for producing insulin goes way, way down. So even losing weight is
not going to reverse your diabetes.


snip.....snip..........snip.............