> Andrea Hughett wrote:
> ...Some people with Type 1, where the islets are
> destroyed (nowadays most researchers believe this is
> an autoimmune process) actually still produce some
> insulin, but not enough. In that case, it is possible
> that on a low carb diet the insulin would be
> sufficient.
> 

Thanks for the info, Andrea. How do these people produce insulin without
functioning islet cells? Do precursor cells regenerate into functioning
islet cells? I read of this possibility in the following article:


From: Insulin Production May Resume If Auto-Immune Attack Halted 
FuturePundit
November 27, 2003
http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/001818.html

<<Here comes the especially interesting part: if the auto-immune response
can be halted in human diabetes sufferers then it is likely that over a
period of months the body will slowly develop the ability to secrete enough
insulin to control blood sugar without insulin shots.

...islets also could grow from remaining precursor cells in the diabetic
mice and resume insulin secretion once the autoimmune process had been
halted. Such regrowth from the animal's own cells was slightly slower than
regeneration from donor cells - taking about 120 days - but the eventual
regeneration of islets was just as complete. The result suggests that, given
time, regrowth of islets can occur in animals who have immune system
re-education to eradicate their diabetes but do not receive the donor islet
cell precursors.>>