Insulin-using woman with type 2 diabetes and weight problems

A 61-year-old overweight woman had been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypothyreosis. Treatment with antidiabetic and antihypertensive medication and thyroxine had been started. Blood sugar had been increasing despite medication and she had started using insulin. In 2003 she used 150 IE insulin per day. She tried hard to adhere to a recommended diet, but gradually became fatter, maximum weight was 120 kg. She started on a low carbohydrate diet on her own and lost 14 kg during 5 months. She had some hypoglycemic episodes and sought advice at Dr. Fedon Lindberg's Clinic. Her low carbohydrate diet was continued, endurance exercise was included, medication with metformin was started and during 8 months she was off insulin and showed much lower blood sugar values than before. She lost 14 kg during this period. She was motivated for loosing more weight and starter on a VLCD (very low caloric diet). She lost another 9 kg on this diet. She than started regular resistance training and her weight stabilized on 80 kg. Her HbA1c value has been reduced from 8.9 to 5.4% and her total/HDL cholesterol ratio has been reduced from 5.4 to 1.7. Her C-peptide value increased in the period when insulin was reduced, but is now reduced to 700 pmol/L. Micro-CRP has been reduced from 9.0 mg/L to 0.4 mg/L. With a low carbohydrate diet and exercise this woman no longer has diabetes or severe overweight. It is our opinion that many patients with type 2 diabetes can manage without medication (especially insulin) by reducing the intake of carbohydrates considerably.