Ian Lake, BSc, BM, MRCGP
Dr Ian Lake is a Primary Care Physician in the UK who is keen to ensure that all people with Type 1 diabetes and their clinical teams know about the ketogenic diet.
After 20 years of living with Type 1, he accidentally discovered the ketogenic lifestyle had a profound transformation in his diabetes control from the first day; he halved his insulin doses, reduced his hypos, and had much-improved blood glucose. Previously he was in the same situation as 70% of people with Type 1 diabetes who are losing 100 days of life every year because of their HbA1c being above 7.5%.
He feels so healthy and alert that he has had the confidence to resume sports in the great outdoors solo, which he had to stop because of safety concerns around diabetes.
In 2020, he organised the Zerofive100 project, a 100-mile run over five days with zero calories, water only. One other person with Type 1 was in the team of eight. It was designed to address clinical concerns about the keto diet in type 1 diabetes and was a success. There were no issues at all.
Realising there was a need for quality information, he has written professional courses on keto diets, which are intended for clinical teams and will also appeal to people living with Type 1. He also has a website dedicated to providing information for fellow T1s.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there and people are getting confused. My aim is that all people with Type 1 diabetes are aware of the ketogenic lifestyle and get access to expert help from clinicians who are trained in keto lifestyles. People should know their options so that they can make informed choices supported by their clinical teams. This is a chance for a new start for some people, and I hope they, too, discover the benefits of this lifestyle very soon.”
