Will calorie restriction work w/ Type 1 diabetes?

[Guest guest]

Hello,

This is my first post and I am new to this group.

I'm considering a calorie restricted diet to improve my odds of a

longer, healthy life. I believe I could have sufficient discipline if

I had sufficient reason to believe the calorie restriction would work.

I've had insulin dependent diabetes for 32 years. I'm 47, I've been

following a vegan diet for 10 years, and my diabetes has always been

very difficult to control. So far, I'm in very good shape, but I've

had some peripheral neuropathy for about 10 years, primarily evidenced

by muscle atrophy and increased scarring/reduced healing from slight

scrapes on my lower legs. I also have high (260) cholesterol (must be

genetic or diabetes linked, cause it can't be diet). I just spoke

with someone today about going on a statin.

However, from what I recall reading in Scientific American a few years

back, part of the the theoretical mechanism by which calorie

restriction supposedly works is that it lowers average blood sugar

levels. But my blood sugar is just too volatile and high. It seems

doubtful that calorie restriction would lower my average blood sugar

to anything even remotely close to what a non-diabetic on a normal

diet would expect (80-120 mg/dl), much less the even lower average

observed in non-diabetics on calorie restriction.

Would I be wasting my time (depriving myself for no possible benefit)

if I restricted my calories?

I'm thinking I should pursue an islet transplant, but I'd still need

to get accepted to clinical trials and, as you may know, I'd need to

take immune suppressing drugs.

Any thoughts or advice?