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0 pointsksaun2y ago0 comments

> Diet and exercise are extremely effective in treating type 1 diabetes. But some exogenous insulin (and other medications) are usually still required.

I think you are misinformed about Type 1 diabetes. Maybe you are thinking of some other condition?

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops producing any insulin. Insulin must be administered regularly (always, not usually) or the person will die. "Other medications" aren't required.

One's diet and exercise are relevant to Type 1 diabetes treatment, but are not a treatment method.

Source: my daughter has Type 1 diabetes

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GiorgioG2y ago

You put it much more diplomatically than I did in my response (my son has T1D)

nradov2y ago

I'm sorry for your daughter's condition, but I think you are misinformed about type 1 diabetes. Most patients still product some endogenous insulin, it's just usually not enough. Like any chronic condition, it's a spectrum and there are outliers at both ends. I've learned to be very cautious about using words like "always" or "never" because of the odd cases that occasionally come up.

https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs00125-013-3067-x

Diet and exercise are very effective at treating type 1 diabetes, just usually not sufficient. With a minimal or zero carb diet plus the right exercise regime, some patients find that they can go much longer between insulin doses while still maintaining good blood glucose control. In particular, I think a lot of people don't appreciate the necessity of doing resistance training to build enough skeletal muscle mass as a glucose sink.

https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3349

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