Type 1 Diabetes Cure: Two Options

Many people, both in medical research and in the diabetic population, are searching for a new type 1 diabetes cure.

Type 1 is insulin dependent diabetes. It occurs when the beta cells in the area of the pancreas called the Islets of Langerhans stop being able to produce insulin. The causes of this are not entirely known, but it is believed to be a combination of infection, possibly a virus, and a genetic predisposition that is inherited. It often starts in childhood or adolescence which is why it is sometimes called juvenile diabetes, but it can develop in adults too.

Insulin regulates blood sugar levels, allowing a more or less regular supply of sugar to be released into the blood. This prevents us becoming either hypoglycemic (not enough sugar in the bloodstream to feed the brain) or hyperglycemic (too much sugar in the blood), both of which can be very serious and in some cases cause death. So if a person’s body lacks the ability to produce its own insulin, the person must take insulin, usually by injection. It cannot be consumed in the form of tablets because it would be digested and not reach the bloodstream that way.

Option 1: Transplant

The only complete type 1 diabetes cure is to receive a new pancreas or section of the pancreas by transplant. There is no other way to renew the cells that should be producing insulin, if they no longer work. However, many experts believe that the possible complications of a transplant outweigh the inconveniences of living with the disease so transplants are not often recommended. The disease is managed by a combination of insulin and careful diet to maintain normal levels of glucose in the blood.

Option 2: Diet

Type 2 diabetes can quite often be managed entirely with diet but this is because people with type 2 are still producing some insulin of their own. If they spread their food intake through the day and avoid high sugar and high fat foods, in many cases they can reach a point where their pancreas is able to cope. If not, they can take drugs to help manage it. However, this is not usually the case with type 1 where no insulin is being produced at all.

There have been anecdotal reports of people with type 1 diabetes who claim to have been able to normalize their blood sugar by following a special diet, to the point where they no longer need insulin at all. One example is Sergei Boutenko, the son of well known raw food writer Victoria Boutenko, whose family went on a raw food diet in an attempt to cope with the various different health problems of several family members after Sergei developed type 1 diabetes at the age of nine. The Boutenkos claim that Sergei never experienced any more diabetic symptoms after beginning to follow a 100% raw diet.

However, this cannot really be described as a cure for type 1 diabetes because the body has not begun producing insulin again. It is in fact a remission, and it would be possible that diabetic symptoms would recur in the future, especially if the person’s diet changed. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a type 1 diabetes cure you could consider looking into the raw food diet, subject of course to medical advice.

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