A T1 man in the UK is no longer taking insulin. His pancreas ‘recharged’ itself, and he is no longer T1.
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Absolutely fascinating! I tend to worry when these kinds of newspaper reports are published before the peer-reviewed study (which is released next week): often, the actual scientific results aren’t nearly as definitively positive as the summary version produced by science writers. That being said, let’s hope this man is actually recovered from autoimmune Type 1 diabetes.
The details in the story make me wonder about a few things:
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Is it possible that a combination of diet and exercise (man is a competitive long-distance runner) are somehow lowering his insulin needs to below his “extended honeymoon” endogenous levels (seems unlikely, since he was diagnosed 7 years ago)?
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If the brain can “send a signal to reverse Type 1,” why has this never happened before? Or is it just Daniel’s brain that is capable of this?
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Did Daniel have autoimmune Type 1 diabetes? And if so, how does a brain signal to the pancreas (as proposed in the story) actually stop the body destroying the pancreas cells? Since the doctors are “80% sure” he’s “cured,” that would indicate that his beta cells are no longer under autoimmune attack.
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While beta cell regeneration is pretty well studied and established at this point in Type 1 (through diet, exercise, implants, etc.), the issue has always been stopping the autoimmune attack. What is the mechanism that the scientists suspect is at play here?
Looking forward to reading more about this! I’m not getting my hopes up that this means a cure, especially since this article repeats the worn-out “Type 2 can be reversed” trope that we all know is not true (remission yes, “reversed” or cured, no). I hope it isn’t the case, but I suspect this is another “mouse cured of diabetes, cure coming for humans in weeks” kind of science-writing fiasco.
@Richard157, thank you so much for posting this, and I genuinely hope my skepticism (which is directed at the article’s author, not you) is unfounded 
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Anyone else see this and think that it’s great if it leads to something actually useful, but that the more likely outcome, besides not much useful, is having to deal with more lay people insisting T1s (including those of us with acute onset illness that’s been fully set in for decades) can cure ourselves if we just do long distance running or something? My potential excitement is tempered both my skepticism and that anticipated annoyance, heh… Will be interested to hear more though! And agreed that I’m certainly hopeful my skepticism is misplaced.
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I’ve read about this case in another group. It sounded like he never had an antibodies test done (GAD or Anti GAD) neither a C-Peptied which to me just means he probably wasn’t even a type 1 to begin with. These types of articles frankly ■■■■ me off. All they do is spread misinformation and false hope. It’s the last thing the type 1 community needs.
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My hesitation is the same as Maya’s. What’s the proof that he really was T1 in the first place? Maybe it’s there and I just missed it.
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He may very well have been “Type 1b,” or idiopathic Type 1, where you have all the symptoms of Type 1 with no detectable autoimmune attack on the beta cells. Although it is genetic and super-rare, it is very poorly understood. One of the things that is understood, however, is that insulin dependence is intermittent throughout the lifetime. I only know about this because my grandmother had it, was on and off insulin over forty years (there were periods of five and six years where she needed it the same as a Type 1 with no insulin production, and other periods where she was more like an advanced Type 2 or early LADA with enough endogenous insulin production to stay stable).
Anyhow, it strikes me that Daniel being a weird Type 2, Type 1b, or some other rare version of a diabetic is more likely than an autoimmune disorder reversing itself. I haven’t just not heard of Type 1s being “cured,” I’ve never heard of any serious, chronic autoimmune disorder spontaneously disappearing. Maybe I’m wrong on that front?
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Well, that definitely fills in a blank. Thanks for that.
The strangest thing that ever happened to me was that my psoriasis disappeared (for ONE day). Then it came back the next day and never happened again. So, Jesus COULD heal me. But that doesn’t mean He will.
This is literally a case of Type 2 by exclusion. Since Type 1 does NOT reverse, he had Type 2.
I had mentioned that a friend had notified me that this had also happened to another individual who was examined at the DRI in Miami. Now I have found that that individual had received an islet cell transplant, so that is a completely different situation. I deleted my previous comment.
https://www.diabeticlifestyle.com/live-well/insulin-free-first-time-26-years
I would be surprised if he had either a C-peptide or antibody tests carried out. One reason why the NHS is so cost-efficient is that tests that are considered to be unnecessary for routine cases are not carried out. Someone diagnosed at the age of 23 would likely be “typed” on the basis of the “Duck” test (if it looks like a Type1, acts like a Type1 and quacks like a Type 1, it probably is a Type 1).
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So, spontaneous remission probably isn’t accurate. When people with autoimmune disease go into remission, I think there is always a reason for it, but they haven’t figured it out! MS, RA, Hashimotos, Crohns… there are numerous cases of people with these diseases going into remission. I, myself, have been able to turn off the autoimmune attack that started years ago, through diet and lifestyle. I was diagnosed with hashimotos and type 1 over 4 years ago. In multiple tests, I no longer have the antibodies. I saw my thyroid antibodies coming down over time until they didn’t exist. I didn’t take the gad65 tests as often so I can’t speak to a trend, but they don’t show up anymore either. I am a type 1 and I barely produce any insulin, but I don’t have to take exogenous insulin with meals to maintain a 5.5 a1c. I guess I’m just saying that there is hope for autoimmune remission and I think while there are more details to find out in this case (is he really a type 1 or not?), it’s certainly an exciting story and hope that scientists learn something from this! In my case, as the autoimmunity doesn’t seem to be an issue, I’m just hoping for some regeneration!!
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I’d like to know more about this because I think it’s possible and the reason is because I have a type 1 daughter . She’s 5 and was diagnosed at 3 . She went into hospital with a BG of almost 600 she lost a lot of weight had extreme thirst and urinated a lot to the point where I had to put her back in pull ups she was already potty trained. She had all the lab work done and tested positive for every antibody everything in her Labwork showed abnormal which is why she was diagnosed with type 1 . From sep 2015-Jan 2017 my daughter used NO insulin . She was diagnosed in may 2015. So for 4 months she used insulin . The doctors thought she was honeymooning until it continued for all that time with no insulin use and a1c all under 5.6. In January 2017 because of just starting preschool she started catching viruses (colds,stomach bugs etc) and her body began to start having high BG which caused us to put her back on insulin . She had been sick before starting school but not so much because she was barely around a lot of kids at one time . the only thing is now she’s off again and when her blood work was redone she doesn’t even test abnormal for c peptide and GAD antibody which she tested positive for in the beginning. She mainly takes insulin when very sick .also she has a clean bill of health for any other health issues . Doctors are baffled with my daughter .So before thinking it’s impossible for this to happen I’m currently going through it with my kid
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Well one thing I’ve certainly learned from this forum is that diabetes is complicated and there was me thinking you were either type 1, 2 or gestational! Was vaguely familiar with the terms lada and mody but it seems there are even more subtypes.
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Ndidi_nwosu, thanks for your reply. Your daughter’s situation is very interesting In the Joslin Medalist Study of very long term type 1 individuals, it was found that more than half of them are still producing some insulin. One lady with more than 50 years of type 1 occasionally has to stop taking insulin. Her pancreas produces enough that she has hypos if she continues her insulin. Her pancreas is inconsistent, an on and off kind of thing. Maybe your daughter has a similar situation.
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That’s exactly what goes on with my daughter sometimes insulin takes her as low as 45 and that’s off of only 1 unit of basal at night then through the day she doesn’t bolus . When she’s sick she requires basal insulin but at the most 2 units and maybe bolus 1x during the day mainly after dinner . For the year and half she needed nothing but since starting school and being sick so much there are times where she does need it sometimes
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This is an interesting topic. There are times when I like to think my diabetes is going into remission and I fool myself into thinking it might go away for good. But then it all comes rushing back. For example, I hadn’t had to take any meal-time insulin for about the past two weeks and would peak about around 140 post-meal. So I started experimenting with what I could get away with eating; like bagels. I had a bagel with breakfast last week and think I maxed out a 135. No bad!. Then I had a bagel again this morning and was over 220 within an hour.
I guess my diabetes hasn’t gone away. Oh well. Maybe next time.
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@Jen, I participated in the Joslin Medalist Study in 2009. Part of the participation required a glucose tolerance test. I was allowed basal but no breakfast that morning. My BG was tested every half hour for two hours. My BG reached 350+. Then I was allowed to bolus. I was told that some participants, all of whom had been T1 for 50+ years, experienced a high BG after one hour, but a lower BG after two hours. That seems like a significant amount of insulin production for people with T1 for 50+ years.
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it breaks my heart to see all of my people scared and brainwashed, I am fairly fit 28 year old whom is diabetic type 1 for 21 years now, when I was 15, DR P Braakenburg-shiphay manor surgery prescribed me STATINS (hdl booster/kidney killer) and told me like insulin I would be on them for the rest of my life. at this time inmy life a was drinking cans coke and a chocolate bar for breakfast, I never taken a statin and when I have my cholesterol levels checked now they are perfect, how did this happen? a miracle? DR A Veloso- shiphay manor surgery torquay, told me around six years ago I would cease to live in four years time if I do not start taking ‘leveothiroixine, I have never to this day taken one, alough at the time I was very scared after hearing this bombshell, I have however taken arctic kelp, selenium, potassium tabs.My energy levels are fine and I’m a lean 76kg. Dr P Braakenburg-shiphay manor surgery. I completely changed my processed diet, started fitness training on bicycles (diabetics best friend) i have never been as healthy as i have been the last few years. now as for the diabetes i have always been jubies and done my own human research on pals, athletes before after dinner, exercise checking there sugar levels (to my docters disapproval of course) i guy i was working for kepy urinating more thanme whiloe my sugars were high, his read 9.3 (highest ive read on a non diabetic) now if a docter read this he would be classed diabetic insulin for life, i kept an eye on him told him lay off the sweet stuff, with in a fortnight later his were perfect again 5.1 before breakfast to 6.1 two hours after breakfast, exactly the same read a two boxing athletes ive monitored. how did this happen? coincidence? i record conversations to refere back to them when visiting speacialists now. my docter said in this instance she would of told him to come back in two weeks for another test after a 24 hour fast. 24 hour fast i asked? i ate a giant bag of maltesers hour bofore i got diagnosed back in1999. another case i was looking into, a young guy around 17 worst diet ive ever seen drinks red bull before his kfc breakfast and sits on pc all day and night, he wen to the docters and read 11.1, but his quack sent him straight to A&E and dosed him with insulin there and then, i mean a 11.1 read isn’t really tht much higher than my pal who read 9.3 and completely healed himself. of course my first question to him was did he fast before the glucose test, or course he didn’t. which would make the test completely and utterly false, his docter didn’t even ask when he last ate. the speacialist docter i had to wait three months to see tried to convince me that a non diabetic levels would likely to jump to 15.5 after eating 90g of organic porridge with hempmilk. the penny dropped there and then that they are reading from a handbook and don’t have a damn clue. same every time i got to the docters we have a big debate they think I’m lyeing or I’m a walking miracle. this 17 kid is injecting two units at a time while his levels are 4.1 because he is scared to death if he does nt he will be ill. honeymoon period? wake up. NOW after years of eating to much processed carbs and sugar, you go into diabetic mode where levels will rise, you will urinate sugar water and body will eat all of your fat and you will look ill and feel half dead. your body will try and get into single figure fat contents this is the only way pancreas will start to produce beta cells again. there is no other way… coincidence this guy whom has cured himself and cyclist and got his fat content probly down to exactly. YOUR LIVER controls your blood sugar while you are not eating, 90% of the time proberly, diabetics’ liver cells are in a glucose bath and the only way to cure yourself of a short jeperdy insulin reliant life is to empty the glucose bath that lies in your liver. do four day fast just water, get a bicycle and eat organic and for god sake do not listen to the docters, the longer they have been studying medicine the more air they have in ones head as far as I’m concerned, deep down you know why your in this mess, after all sugar is 10 times more addictive than herion… so believe this a ‘MIRICLE’ or just do some real human research. “THERE IS NO MONEY TO BE MADE IN HEALTHY PEOPLE”