September 19, 2012
Other Medications, Weight and Weight Loss
Question from United Kingdom:
Since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and starting my insulin injections, I have stopped snacking and stick to regular meals so I am eating a lot less than before. However, I am putting on weight quite quickly due to the insulin. I eat fairly healthy and work out at least three times a week. Are weight loss/fat burning supplements safe to use? If so, which ones are best recommended for diabetics?
Answer:
They are not necessarily efficacious. Although a fat burning modality sounds wonderful, there is no evidence that they work. These agents are sold as supplements and do not have to submit data on efficacy to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to back up their claims for actually burning fat.
Many times, patients with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes are actually “starving in the face of plenty.” Their bodies cannot utilize the calories they take in. Once insulin therapy is initiated, you can now use the calories and you lay down fat in a way that would have occurred if the insulin would have been present before.
JTL
