FAQs: Miscellaneous Other – Questions that don’t fit into any of the other categories!
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Can someone with Type 2 diabetes become Type 1 if they stop producing insulin?
No. Type 1 diabetes occurs when there is a severe lack of insulin in the body because the cells in the pancreas that produce it have been destroyed. Type 2 diabetes is a condition of high insulin levels and insulin resistance, i.e. insulin that doesn’t work properly. People with Type 2 diabetes do not stop producing insulin. They are only prescribed insulin when lifestyle and diabetes medication are no longer able to control blood glucose levels. However, it is possible to halt and even reverse the progression of Type 2 diabetes and, therefore, it is possible to come off insulin if sufficient lifestyle changes are made (see more here: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/reversing-diabetes.html).
What extra nutrients does someone who has had a Roux en Y gastric bypass need?
This surgery makes people feel very full after a small amount of food, but as most of the absorption of nutrients occurs in the small intestine this is not affected. Apart from vitamin D (if deficient), omega-3 (if insufficient in the diet), magnesium (if experiencing a lot of cramps) and vitamin K2 (if at risk of osteoporosis) there should be no need for extra nutrients to be supplemented.
What would you suggest as a suitable diet for someone with ulcerative colitis?
There are specific diets suggested for ulcerative colitis and these tend to include easily digestible, low fibre foods. They don’t work for everyone and normally people need to experiment to find out what works for them, i.e. which foods are triggers. On these diets it is possible to restrict carbohydrate and fill up on eggs, meat, fish and cheese with small amounts of tolerated salad and veg; using plenty of natural fats for cooking (e.g. extra virgin olive oil, butter, lard, coconut oil).
A carb restricted diet can be very successful for some individuals with conditions like this, and some people may be able to come off medication. Trying some form of time-restricted eating (e.g. 8 hour window of eating followed by 16 hours of fasting) could also help, as it will allow the digestive tract to rest and promote healing.
If someone has had their gallbladder removed do they have to be more careful about the types of foods they eat?
If someone has had their gallbladder removed their liver will still make enough bile to digest food but, instead of being stored in the gallbladder, the bile drips continuously from the liver into the intestine. There is therefore no need to follow a low fat diet, as the body can still tolerate and digest fatty foods. More information on this can be found on the NHS website.
What causes gestational diabetes? If someone has gestational diabetes does this increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on?
Gestational diabetes is basically due to insulin resistance caused by weight gain and hormones. There is a good overview here. However, the blood glucose targets in this article are American. In the UK, NICE Guidance is that women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes if they have a fasting plasma glucose level of 5.6 mmol/l or above, or a two hour post-meal plasma glucose level of 7.8 mmol/l or above. Once diagnosed, recommended target levels are less than 5.3 mmol/l for fasting, 7.8 mmol/l one hour after meals, and/or 6.4 mmol/l two hours after meals.
People who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. To reduce their risk it is recommended that they achieve a healthy weight, be physically active and reduce their intake of refined carbs.
Do you have any advice around diet/lifestyle for someone going through the menopause who wishes to lose weight?
A low-carb diet can help alleviate some of the negative side effects of menopause, like unwanted weight gain and mood swings. As you know, not everyone experiences menopause the same way, some have no symptoms at all, but it can be a tough time in a woman’s life.
When we are of child-bearing age, our hormones tend to encourage fat to accumulate subcutaneously — just below the skin of the hips and thighs. This supports childbearing and breast-feeding. During menopause, the hormones that drive this lower-body fat storage decrease, and weight may begin accumulating in the middle and we can become more apple shaped.
Combine this hormone shift with changes in muscle mass. As women and men age, they naturally lose muscle mass — and muscle helps you burn more calories at rest. We sometimes become less active as we get older, further contributing to a decrease in metabolism and muscle mass.
As oestrogen levels drop during menopause, women also tend to become more resistant to the hormone insulin, which, as you know, helps to process blood glucose. As oestrogen diminishes, this is thought to lead to some metabolic dysfunction, sometimes causing weight gain and thus increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Blood glucose levels can become more erratic which can also also make us irritable, challenge our ability to concentrate and lead to tiredness and fatigue. This is further compounded by sleep disturbances often experienced in the menopause so, also thinking about improving the quality of sleep as discussed in the programme can help.
Low-carb diets can reduce menopausal weight gain and reduce existing excess weight. Even modest restriction of carbohydrates can help adults stabilise blood glucose swings and lose weight and the often improved nutrition and reduction of processed food as recommended in the programme ensure that your body received all the essential nutrients it needs to keep it healthy.
THE FAQ FORUM IS “READ-ONLY”, SO YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ADD COMMENTS TO THIS THREAD. IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS ANYTHING RELATED TO WHAT YOU HAVE READ HERE THEN PLEASE RETURN TO THE MAIN FORUM
