My 16 year son was diagnosed 1 month ago. He is just starting wrestling and wants to drop weight. He is skipping lunch and just not taking a dose of Humalog. He is also exercising excessively. So far his sugars are in the 70-100 range. How long until he runs into problems? He takes Ultralente at night.

Trying to lose weight for wrestling is unhealthy for any adolescent, regardless of the presence of diabetes. It may impair his health, interfere with growth, etc.

Specifically concerning diabetes, during the early stage of diabetes, if the insulin dose is low then the body is making most of the insulin. At this time there may not be as much of an issue with variations in food intake. If hypoglycemia occurs, then clearly he needs to change his food patterns. However, as the dose becomes more injected insulin and less the body’s insulin, then he will need to work closely with his diabetes care providers and dietitian for safe and healthy eating. It is necessary to balance the food with the injected insulin.

Please speak to your son’s doctor about this issue right away, and also the wrestling coach.

LM