"L. Conrad" > wrote in message
...
> I'm asking this because I have several friends and a brother in law with
> diabetes. My BIL doesn't need insulin as he controls his diabetes with
> diet alone. He's on a really low carb diet and is doing great. He also
> lost his excess weight. No, his cholesterol levels are not out of sight,
> staying under 200. He is in his mid 70s now. But my friends, ages from
> 50 to 75 will not eat a low carb diet, one doesn't even seem to realize
> what foods are high in carbs or sugars. One says carbs are necessary for
> health. The research I've done so far says that is not true since humans
> can make their own carbs from protein by splitting off one atom or some
> such (think Eskimos and far north peoples). I learned no one ever
> suffered a carb deficiency. They are unwilling to give up the foods they
> love such as potatoes, peas, bagels, cereals, corn etc.
>
> The questions a
>
> Can a diabetic, already on insulin control their blood-sugar better by
> adopting a very low carb, or near no carb diet?
> Can a diabetic who adopts a low carb diet improve their blood values and
> need LESS insulin?
> Would the need for less insulin be better for their general health?
> Can a diabetic slowly lower their carb levels to see if less insulin is
> needed?
>
> Your replies will be printed and given to them this coming weekend.
>
> Thank you for your time.......

Low carb diets work for some people but not all. And some people (like me)
do not feel at all well on it. I certainly do not eat all carb laden foods,
nor did I eat them all prior to diabetes. I do limit my portions. In fact
when I did try low carbing, my BG shot up even higher than it would have on
my limited carb diet.

I've never used insulin so I don't know a lot about it. I do know that a
person who has type 1 (meaning they produce no insulin whatever) can
sometimes have more leeway with their diet than a type 2 who uses insulin.
There are just so many variables.

You seem to be convinced that low carb is the only way to go. And you don't
seem to understand much about diabetes. There are over 300 types of
diabetes but we are generally lumped together as type 1, type 2, or
gestational. I'm a type 2 who produced a ton of natural insulin but I have
insulin resistance. The fact that a person does not use insulin does not
mean in some way that they are better than a person who does not. People
use it because they have to use it.