Reversal of diabetic complications by diet

We have discovered a practical method to reduce glucose metabolism in a variety of tissues: a very low-carbohydrate, low-protein diet. This diet, which is used to control epilepsy, produces highly protective effects as judged by a variety of methods. In particular, this diet produces a remarkable reduction in blood glucose in Type I diabetic mice, and also interferes with glucose metabolism. In addition, low-protein diets are known to protect against kidney damage. These and other studies suggest the hypothesis that even intermittent consumption of such a diet might reverse damage produced by diabetes.

We propose to test if constant or intermittent consumption of this diet will produce protective effects, especially protect kidney function, in a highly characterized mouse model of Type I diabetes that closely resembles human diabetic kidney damage. We will use an experimental design specifically formulated to assess if this diet cannot only prevent, but also reverse, the development of kidney damage in diabetes.