Your Questions Answered
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
- Type 2 diabetics need to produce such high quantities of insulin that eventually the pancreas stops working. As a result the blood glucose cannot be controlled and increases to levels that are dangerous.
- Foods which contain sugar and starch are broken down to glucose and absorbed in the bloodstream.
- About 90 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 2.
- Diabetics (Type 2 and Type 1) invariably suffer from multiple health problems including attacks on internal organs.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
- Type 1 diabetics are unable to produce sufficient insulin and consequently blood glucose levels rise.
This is because of an autoimmune condition where the body destroys insulin-producing cells. - Nobody knows why this happens, but experts agree that is has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle.
- About 10 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 1
How can a low carb/healthy fats diet help my diabetes?
- Sugar and carbs create a rapid rise in blood sugars. They enter the bloodstream much faster than drugs or
injected insulin. This means that by the time the drugs or insulin have ‘caught up’ the diabetic has already spent much of his/her day at very high glucose levels. - Reducing carbs (and replacing the energy gap with healthy fats) ensures that glucose levels aren’t sent sky high in the first place.
- The Low Carb approach can prevent many people, including pre-diabetics, from ever getting Type 2 diabetes. For those who already have Type 2 diabetes it can potentially reverse the condition – as has been proved in thousands of cases around the world.
- The diet cannot reverse Type 1 diabetes, but it can greatly reduce blood sugar levels leading to dramatic improvements in health. Reductions in glucose levels will also, in turn, lead to cuts in the amount of injected insulin, thus reducing insulin resistance.
Apart from diabetics which other groups benefit from Low Carb eating?
The excess insulin produced in response to a high level of blood glucose can cause inflammation in many different organs. This can result in a variety of common chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancers and Alzheimer’s Disease. Switching to a Low Carb diet reduces the blood glucose and is therefore an effective means of preventing these diseases and in some cases, complete remission has been achieved.
What about the role of exercise?
Regular exercise is beneficial to both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics resulting in general improvements in health, but diet is by far the chief influence on blood glucose levels.
Which experts are backing the low carb approach?
A growing number of scientists, nutrition experts and doctors are recognising that this is the way to go for diabetics.
Dr David Unwin, a GP in Southport, who has won the NHS Innovator of the Year Award in 2016.
Dr Trudi Deakin, a dietitian based in Hebden Bridge who has established the X-PERT Programme, which has trained hundreds of healthcare professionals.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee, a GP in Oldham, featured in the “Doctor in the House” series on BBC TV.
Dr Richard Bernstein, a Type 1 diabetic who will be 85 years old in June 2019 and is still running his own practice in New York City.
Do I have to adopt a very strict eating regime to help my diabetes?
Studies show that the more you can adhere to the low carb/healthy fats approach the better your chances of improving – or in the case of Type 2 diabetics, reversing – your condition. But even if you feel more comfortable reducing your carbs gradually it’s a step in the right direction and you should start to see positive results fairly quickly.
I love starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta so how can I eat well without them?
No-one is pretending that this diet doesn’t demand some sacrifices but the positive results are potentially life-changing. There are delicious substitutes for most foods and respected chefs like Tom Kerridge are producing wonderful recipes. See overleaf for recommended food links. There is also no evidence that reducing carbs has any adverse long-term effects on health
What is Low Carb Skipton?
It’s a group of like-minded people who have joined forces to promote the low carb message. Monthly meetings are held (everyone is welcome including nondiabetics) at The Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton where experiences are shared and helpful advice given.
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