I went from >12% to <6% A1C by cutting out carbs, taking a low dose of metformin (750mg slow release per day) and throwing in a bit more light to moderate exercise.

Credit to Dr. Bernstein (http://www.diabetes-book.com/) who is a type I diabetic himself, but really we're now hearing the same things from Taubes, Lustig, the Paleo folks and many others.

Obviously low carb diets alone aren't the whole solution. Berstein's book contains a wealth of information on living with diabetes well into old age. It's a great read for diabetics or for anyone caring for a diabetic.

Just to clarify, I'm not selling notions of curing type 1 diabetes through diet. If you're type 1 you will need insulin. Even type 2 may require insulin.

The point I'm trying to make is that in both diseases (type 1 and 2) control of blood sugar is key to reducing mortality. Reducing carb intake will result in lower blood sugar rises which will require less insulin to counter. Less insulin means less chance of hypoglycemic events. By minimizing these control inputs you can balance your blood sugar in the normal range and prevent and even reverse the damage to your body from diabetes.