THE TALK: Low Carbohydrate Diet for Type-1 Diabetes? Patient and Research Perspective

Nutrition has far reaching impact on our health, along with the prevention and management of numerous diseases. However, this is best illustrated in the management of Type-1 Diabetes where nutritional choices have meal-by-meal, day-by-day, and lifelong health implications. Various therapeutic and nutritional approaches have been developed to try to improve the lives of those living with Type-1 Diabetes. However, no one therapeutic strategy yet, has consistently demonstrated an ability to neutralize the primary outcome for acute and chronic complications in Type-1 Diabetes, glycemic control. Century-old and emergent data has reinvigorated discussions surrounding dietary choices that reduces the dietary input of carbohydrates for the management of Type-1 Diabetes. Andrew will be directly addressing and discussing the evidence surrounding Type-1 Diabetes, nutrition, current therapeutic options, and low-carbohydrate diets from both a patient and research perspective.

Andrew Koutnik is a researcher, Type-1 Diabetic, and patient advocate at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and IHMC studying the influence of nutrition and metabolism on health, disease, and performance. He originally began his research path at Florida State University in the Exercise Science studying the influence of nutrition, exercise, supplementation, and environmental extremes on health-based outcomes in normal and clinical populations resulting in several original research publications. From Florida State University, Andrew was awarded the Presidential Fellowship to undergo Biomedical Research with the Metabolic Therapeutics Lab at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine with a focus on studying metabolism and metabolic therapies for health, disease, and performance outcomes resulting in numerous research publications. While at USF, Andrew also developed and implemented multiple research projects on NASA NEEMO 22 as a part of USF and IHMC research team. In 2018, Andrew was selected to participate in TEDxUSF event where he presented on Nutrition and Type-1 Diabetes. Personally, Andrew Koutnik uses exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle factors to manage Type-1 Diabetes for over 12 years. Type-1 Diabetes has and continues to give an incredible in-depth personal journey into the world of our metabolism, how it works, how day-to-day life (sometimes moment-by-moment choices) influences it, and how these changes on metabolism can have far reaching effects over other aspects of our physiology. This combination of researching nutrition and exercise, but also dealing with its benefits and consequences daily as a Type-1 Diabetic, created a strong appreciation for the metabolic role nutrition and lifestyle can play into disease prevention and management.