I am 34 years old, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of nine, and I am taking Ultralente in the morning with a sliding scale of Humalog before meals. My blood sugar stays pretty much in control, and I have always had a very active lifestyle. Recently, I started working out and would like to put on some muscle mass, but since bodybuilding is new to me, I was wondering about some of the supplements that are on the market. I am taking Hydroxycut (a fat burning supplement), some protein powder and creatine, and I want to try a “pro-steroid” which is a form of testosterone. Are these safe for me?

Trying to increase lean body mass or ‘bodybuilding’ of itself doesn’t really contribute very much to blood glucose control, but it does focus your attention on general fitness. As to enhancement with a variety of nutritional supplements, there is no harm in creatine, there has been a feeling that protein should if anything be restricted if you have any increase in microalbumin, but the evidence for this is not strong, and most North Americans eat far more than the RDA anyway. However, there is a link between androgen and prostate cancer, so that I would avoid ‘pro-steroids’.

Another change that you might consider would be to talk to your doctor about changing from Ultralente to Lantus (insulin glargine) which provides more even basal control. It does require an extra injection, and you would probably have to adjust the mealtimeHumalog.

DOB