August 18, 2000
Research: Cure
Question from New York, USA:
In past six weeks, a local TV broadcast mentioned a small study that succeeded in stimulating insulin production in type 1 patients under age eight through the use of a high-fat diet. Are you any such report or study?
Answer:
I think it exceedingly unlikely that a high fat diet would have any effect whatsoever in stimulating insulin production in Type�1A or autoimmune diabetes. It seems possible though that this diet was tested either at the beginning of the honeymoon period in Type 1A diabetes when there is often a very temporary resurgence of some insulin production. Alternatively and especially if the test subjects were African American or Hispanic, the diet may have been given to children with what is now called Type�1B diabetes where about 50% of new onset cases will become independent of insulin anyway after some weeks.
DOB
