Going on low-carb-high-fat diet after having been diagnosed with diabetes can turn out to be one of the best decisions regarding your health that you have ever made. Testimonials suggest that not only can this diet bring your type 2 diabetes to a point where you don’t need medication but it can also tremendously improve your fight to bring your blood sugar type 1 diabetes under control.
However, you need to get educated on what you’re doing because this could require that you adjust any insulin doses that you are taking. Once you start going on a low-carb diet, there may not need to take medications anymore. Taking your recommended dose of insulin alongside this diet could result in hypoglycemia, a medical condition which refers to low blood sugar. Therefore, once you are on this diet, be sure you are consulting a specialized physician in this regard, and also go for constant blood sugar test to confirm performance. Furthermore, if you’re totally on a low-carb diet without drugs for the treatment of diabetes or just treating with Metformin, chances are that don’t have to worry about low blood sugar but can just go ahead with your diet.

INSULIN – If you are on a strict low-carb diet, you will likely have to reduce your insulin intake to 30 – 50%. However, it is only through constant blood sugar testing that one can know the required low insulin dosage to take. The input of a specialized physician is very important while doing this. If you overdose insulin intake, it will affect the low-carb diet because you will have to go back to eating or drinking more carbohydrate. It is better to eat too much of low-carb diet and take insulin than the former.

TAKING INSULIN FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES – As discussed above on insulin, the same applies to type 1 diabetes. To rejuvenate people with type 1 diabetes with steady blood sugar, a low-carb, high-fat diet can be appropriate. It is worthy to note that strict low-carb diet results in ketosis – a metabolic state where your body uses fat instead of carbs as it’s primary energy source, and where there is a reduction in protein too in the diet, it could still lead to high ketone levels (>1.5mmol/L). This might be normal for healthy people but will drift type 1 diabetes patients closer to ketoacidosis, which is about 10-15mmol/L, causing the patient to be hospitalized. To be on a safer side, type 1 diabetes patient should go on a moderately low-carb diet with a minimum of about 50g of carb per day. It is advisable to add some fruits to your meal if you cannot deal with the high risk associated with strict low-carb diet. But on the whole, low-carb diet can be just what type 1 diabetes patient needs.

PILLS THAT RELEASE INSULIN – Pills that are used for treating type 2 diabetes release insulin into the pancreas. Using a smaller quantity of injected insulin on a low-carb diet here can also result in low blood sugar level. Some of the pills include Minidiab, Euglucon, Daonil, and Glibenclamide. They are all known as sulfonylureas. Let your doctor know if you want to go on a low-carb diet, and you’re taking any of these drugs. At that point, it is expected you reduce the dosage you take or stop it entirely.

Here are some of the red lines you should be mindful of with these pills;

METFORMIN – As long as it’s only this pill you are taking, it is safe with low-carb diet as there is no risk of drifting into low blood sugar.

DPP-4 INHIBITORS (E.G., JANUVIA) AND GLP-1 AGONISTS (E.G., VICTOZA)  – Although neither of these drugs will lead to low blood sugar with low-carb diet, you’ll need to constantly be checking your blood sugar and report any anomaly to your doctor immediately.

SGLT-2 INHIBITORS (E.G., FARXIGA, JARDIANCE, INVOKANA) – This drug is known for causing its users to develop ketoacidosis and is even severe for someone on a strict low-carb diet. It is, however, a good drug to treat type 2 diabetes. Symptoms of ketoacidosis include extreme thirst, nausea, vomiting, confusion, etc. Discontinue the medication once you notice any these symptoms, go on carbohydrate, and see a doctor.