Ketobiography Keto, Type 1 Diabetes, and Cholesterol: A Mama Bear’s Fight Against Statins
📋 A terrifying ER visit, the smell of acetone on her 9‑year‑old’s breath, and an A1C of 11% launched one family into the world of type 1 diabetes overnight. When doctors insisted “he needs carbs to grow” and later pushed hard for statins after his total cholesterol hit 832, this mama bear turned to keto, Dr. Bernstein’s low‑carb approach, and the TypeOneGrit and LMHR communities to keep her son’s blood sugar in the non‑diabetic range while his cholesterol steadily fell—without medication. In this episode, you’ll hear how Alison Coughlin navigated fear, pressure, and conflicting expert opinions to advocate for her child’s health, and what their life looks like now as he thrives in sports, school, and everyday childhood on a low‑carb way of eating.
⏳ Chapters
- 0:00 – Introduction, Cholesterol Code series, and Alison’s first podcast appearance
- 1:25 – Johnny’s diagnosis story: acetone breath, ER visit, and A1C of 11%
- 7:48 – Hospital food, carb counting, and early fears about life with type 1 diabetes
- 11:53 – Finding TypeOneGrit, discovering Dr. Bernstein, and going low‑carb as a family
- 13:47 – Non‑diabetic A1C, pushback from the endo, and “he needs carbs to grow”
- 15:35 – The shocking lipid panel: total cholesterol 832, LDL 741, and FH testing
- 20:45 – LMHR, cardiology workup, CAC scan, and relentless pressure to start statins
- 24:37 – Cholesterol trending down to 341 without meds and choosing not to debate doctors anymore
- 32:28 – Who Johnny is today: thriving teen, baseball, beach days, and no limitations on keto
- 54:40 – Filming Cholesterol Code and the emotional experience of meeting Dr. Bernstein
💡 What you’ll Learn in this Episode
- How a parent recognized early signs of type 1 diabetes at home and pushed for urgent care.
- What it looks like to transition a child (and family) to Dr. Bernstein’s low‑carb approach after diagnosis.
- How A1C can move from 11% to a non‑diabetic range on keto—and why some clinicians still resist.
- What LMHR is, why Johnny’s total cholesterol soared to 832, and how it later dropped to 341 without statins.
- Practical insights on advocating for your child when doctors warn you’re “doing it wrong” but your child is thriving.
🔑 Key Insight
“The most important thing is keeping his A1C in check and keeping his blood sugars in a non‑diabetic range—and that is what we believe is truly the best thing for him.” -Alison Coughlin
🌐 Connect with Alison
- TYPEONEGRIT facebook group
- LMHR facebook group
Book: Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars (not an affiliate link)
🎥 Screenings and Cholesterol Code Movie information: https://cholesterolcodemovie.com
🎟️ *DFW! Grab your ticket for The Cholesterol Code theatrical screening!* 🎟️
🎧 Listen to More Episodes:
New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
🔗 Subscribe + follow + leave a review to support the show!
🌱 Know someone with a Keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: ketobiography@gmail.com
👥 Connect with Robyn:
https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins
#keto #type1diabetes #cholesterolcodemovie #statins
🎧 Listen to more Ketobiography episodes every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
🔗 Subscribe + follow + leave a review to support the show!
👤 Connect with Robyn:
https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins
🎬 Watch The Cholesterol Code on Amazon starting April 17
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.