My 18 year old son was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. We found out because his health was deteriorating rapidly. He was in ketoacidosis and was admitted to the hospital for 3 days.

(For those that do not know, Type 1 diabetes is where the pancreas stops insulin production, likely caused by a viral infection which caused the body's immune system to attack the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.)

So he now has the life-long journey of regular glucose testing and insulin injections.

As a true believer in the Zone lifestyle, I now have him eating zone meals and snacks.

And let me say from the outset, he is not and was not overweight, so I do not have him eating Zone meals in order to lose weight, I am going for the overall health benefits and the need to maintain proper glucose levels. He is 5' 11" and weighed 150 pounds 5 weeks prior to his diagnosis and now weighs 130 pounds due to the body using fat in place of glucose for energy during this time.

We are very early in the process and still trying to find out the correct amount of insulin he needs on a regular basis in order to keep the glucose level in acceptable range.

I have read the Type 1 diabetics that are Zoners require approx 50% less insulin than those that are not Zoners. That's fine, but also such a simple statement. For one, I don't know if that's beneficial or not because in the Zone, you not only do not want high levels of insulin, but you also do not want low levels of insulin - you want it in the proper "zone." And secondly, Type 1 diabetics "not in the zone" could mean anything from eating pretty good to eating very badly, so the "50% less" figure is meaningless in this context.

The premise of the Zone diet is to eat in a way the regulates insulin production. In my son's case, he regulates the amount of insulin through injections. His goal is now to keep glucose levels in an acceptable range.


And this is where my questions start to pop and things can start to get really deep. I suppose I am looking for intelligent conversation from those that understand the body's metabolic processes and how the Zone diet affects those processes, especially as it relates to a Type 1 diabetic.


For example, since he regulates the insulin himself, would he want to cut back on the Zone's recommended carb intake in order to help maintain low glucose levels?

Isn't his goal now to simply maintain a proper glucose "Zone" rather than a proper insulin "Zone?"

Is insulin still his "master hormone" since he is regulating it instead of the pancreas? Or to think more deeply, the brain is what really regulates insulin by telling the pancreas how much insulin to produce and since his pancreas is no longer providing this, what happens to the other hormones that are affected by insulin production in a normal situation?

I could go on but will save further questions in case anyone would like to help me understand all of this. But in closing, the Zone diet is specifically design for people whose pancreas still produces insulin properly. So, is the Zone diet not applicable at all to someone with Type 1 diabetes? I would think it would still be beneficial for overall health reasons, but when I think about why and how the Zone diet works, I begin to wonder if the Zone diet might not be the best diet for a Type 1 diabetic.

Also, I have tried to find where Dr. Sears discusses Type 1 diabetes but cannot find it anywhere. The above-mentioned "50% less insulin" comments that I referenced were made by individuals in this forum, not Dr. Sears.

I appreciate anyone who can help me try to figure all of this out.

Hi Sean,

The comments I've heard from Dr Sears are that the Zone is an excellent diet for people with Type 1 Diabetes. Eating a Zone balanced diet will reduce your son's level of inflammation and will also decrease the amount of insulin amount your son requires. I'm not an authority on Type 1 Diabetes, but in my opinion common sense would dictate that the effects of excess insulin would not be negated just because someone has Type 1 Diabetes. In other words, it would also be important for the Type 1 Diabetic to eat a Zone diet to help maintain stable blood sugar levels. As I understand, preventing blood sugar spikes by following the Zone diet should decrease the amount of his insulin dosage. Maybe you've already searched drsears.com, but here's a link to the search results I got there. It contains some of Dr Sears' Q&A's about how to follow the Zone diet and regulate insulin dose with Type 1 Diabetes. You'll see where the reference to the 50% less comes from. Dr. Sears mentions in one of the Q&A's that a type 1 diabetic who eats the Zone diet will usually use about 50% less insulin. Yes, 50% is relative, but not each individual will have exactly te same dosage or need. As you know, it will be important to work closely with his doctor to regulate his insulin dose. You could also call a Zone coach at the phone number above. They might be able to offer you more info. Good luck.

Sean,
I am not an expert, but I am a nurse and I do understand insulin-dependent diabetes.

The benefit of the Zone will be that your son will be able to control the spikes in his blood sugars from heavy-glycemic meals. The Zone will not eliminate his insulin needs, and he will probably still require his dosing of the longer-acting insulin. But, if he eats in the Zone, he can reduce or eliminate the "correction doses" that he may need to take.

In my opinion, the focus is sometimes placed too high on carb counting, rather than on the quality of the carbs. I have seen many diabetics being counseled on balancing their diets with starchy potatoes, noodles, breads, etc. And, if the carb content works out to be within the recommended range, then its all good. And, often those foods are responsible for diabetic patients experiencing elevated blood sugars post-prandial (after meals), which requires a correction dose of a shorter-acting insulin. However, if one could shift the focus to a higher quality carb (i.e. zone-favorable carbs) while keeping the carb counts in line, then there won't be as huge of a need for the correction dose, as the longer-acting insulin should be able to handle more of that load.

I hope this is helpful, and if you want to get into it more, I am happy to continue the discussion.

Sue and cranberrycat...this is just the dialog I was hoping for, so thank you to both of you.

@Sue
I was unable to find the search link you mentioned...would you mind posting that again? I would love to read directly what Dr. Sears has to say about this topic.

And your comments regarding too much insulin makes sense. Too much insulin is too much insulin, whether its delivered by the pancreas or by the patient.

@cranberrycat
Just being able to reduce or eliminate his correction doses would be wonderful. Right now the Dr. has him on the one long-lasting dose and 4 of the correction doses (one before each meal and one at bedtime).

And you are so right about the carb counting. While he was in the hospital, he was "supposedly" on a diabetic diet. But, that included mashed potatoes, rolls, white rice, etc. On one meal, he was given a bowl of turnip greens and told to eat that if he still felt hungry after eating everything else. As soon as we got him home, we started Zone meals and doing just what you said - targeting quality carbs. He immediately saw about 100 drop in his glucose readings from in the hospital!

As I mentioned before, I've been a Zone believer for a couple of years now. I was personally cured by the Zone of some anxiety issues I was having back then, and that's not to even mention the weigh loss incurred (I needed it). And my brother and his wife were having ongoing problems conceiving a child, then in the month my sister-in-law started the Zone, she became pregnant...maybe a coincidence, but we believe it was the Zone diet.

Thank you offering to continue the discussion (that was very kind of you), I do have more questions, but will only ask two more for now:
1) what is the effect of having too much fat in a meal or snack? For example, for a one block snack, what if the protein and carbs were one block each, but the fat was 3 blocks?
2) I have the book, "A Week In The Zone." Is there another Dr. Sears book that goes into greater detail of the physiology behind the Zone diet? My son is very smart and would probably get a lot out of a book that dives deeper into this area.

Thanks again for your thoughts...it really means a lot.

Hi Sean,

Here's the link again: http://drsears.com/SearchResults/ta...1+Diabetes

Here's one of the hits that mentions the 50% (fromr the link above): http://drsears.com/tabId/399/itemId...betes.aspx

If these links don't work, what I did to find them was click on Drsears.com in the tool bar above and put Type 1 Diabetes in the search box on the page.


If you sister -in -law was including fish oil, it very well could have been a factor. Fish oil is helpful for individuals with fertility issues.

Re your questions:

1. A little extra monounsaturated fat in a meal or snack, a block or two or three extra, will not be an issue, and will help will help maintain blood sugar control. Too much extra and you’ll have difficulty stay in the Zone. Excess calories, even when eaten in the optional Zone balance is one of the things that will take a person out of the Zone. The exception would be when an athlete adds extra monounsaturated fat to supply their increased energy needs (in the Zone a person burns fat to fuel their body's needs). Some athletes go to as much as 50% of calories from fat and still stay in the Zone.

2. “Toxic Fat” would be the book you’re looking for. After he’s read that, I’d suggest also reading “The Anti-Inflammation Zone”. A tip, some of the favorable carbohydrates on the food block list in “A week in the Zone” are now considered unfavorable. Basically pineapple, melons of all types, and most tropical fruits should be considered unfavorable carbohydrates. After those two books, I'd suggest the "Omega Rx Zone" and "The Anti-Aging Zone". "The Anti-Aging Zone" was written many years ago and while it doesn't include the more recent findings by D Sears, it's chock full of excellent info about how the Zone diet impacts many body systems.


Last, no need to limit your questions. We’ll be happy to help. :)

[quote]
Posted By Sue on 24 Feb 2012 09:03 AM

... Excess calories, even when eaten in the optional Zone balance is one of the things that will...
[/quote]


Typo : optimal (not optional) It should read: Excess calories, even when eaten in the optimal Zone balance, is one of the things that will...

1) what is the effect of having too much fat in a meal or snack? For example, for a one block snack, what if the protein and carbs were one block each, but the fat was 3 blocks?

As Sue described, too much fat can take one out of the Zone. The amount of fat will differ from one individual to another, as per activity level. If you are talking about a snack-sized portion, just break it down to calories for the fun of it, a balanced snack should be around 100 cals. With 3 blocks of fat, that ups the caloric intake by about 50 cals. This does not seem to be a huge issue, but more than that would definitely be a problem, especially if it is frequent. Keep in mind, a slight increase in dietary fat does help slow the entry of carbohdrate into the blood. And, for those who are on weight maintenance or are trying to gain a few pounds, adding extra dietary fat to meals/snacks is the way to do it. From your previous post, perhaps he may want to have a few extra blocks of fat to regain some of the fat that he has lost.


2) I have the book, "A Week In The Zone." Is there another Dr. Sears book that goes into greater detail of the physiology behind the Zone diet? My son is very smart and would probably get a lot out of a book that dives deeper into this area.

Toxic Fat is a good book. Actually most of the more recent books are more science/physiology-based. Another one that comes to mind is THE OMEGA RX ZONE.

I think that an insulin pump and the Zone diet, including fish oil, would work really well for your son when he figures out his blood sugar pattern when on the zone diet. The Zone diet will keep him from having huge swings in his blood sugar. Regulating the rate of the pump will be easy, since he will be eating in a stable consistent manner. At age 18, hopefully his out of the teenage rebellion phase, during which many kids with chronic illnesses stop complying with whatever they have to do to stay well.

He can do this, and the Zone diet will allow him to do it very successfully. He'll be checking his bs more frequently in the beginning of this, till he learns how to regulate his dose. The long-acting insulin Lantus mimics the function of a normal pancreas by supplying a basal amt of insulin over 24 hours. (There are 2 newer long-acting insulins on the market now. Levemir is one of them. I forget the name of the other) He'll need one of the ultra short acting insulins like humulog, for after meals. Stress, exercise, and infection will cause the body to release more glucose into the bloodstream, so those are times he might have higher blood sugars, despite how consistently he follows the Zone. The Zone diet will keep his body very sensitive to insulin, so he won't have to use as much for the same results. (You've no doubt heard of the insulin-resistance many people have developed in this country due to long-standing inflammation.)

One other thing: taking ceylon cinnamon bark powder is showing facinating results in diabetics. It changes, in a very good way, the flora and fauna of the GI tract, which seems to have a substantial impact either on the amt of glucose released or on insulin sensitivity. Ceylon cinnamon bark essential oil kills the pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the GI track, while not harming the beneficial bacteria, viruses, and fungi. That's in vitro. Who know what all it does in vivo. This is not pseudo-science, though many endocrinologists ignor it and don't tell their patients about it. Non-soluble dietary fiber also affects the GI tract in a beneficial way for diabetics. Find one of the fiber tabs with inulin in it. That is the fiber-related chemical that helps control blood glucose.

Hope this helps.
Debbie, RN and type 2 diabetic.

Debbie, good points made there. I would agree, an insulin pump would be really nice once he gets things regulated out.