What is a type 1.5 diabetic? A type 1.5 diabetic is an adult who does not immediately require insulin for treatment, they are not usually overweight, and they have little or no insulin resistance. When tested, they are found to have anti-bodies which attack their beta cells. This type of diabetes is often called Slow Onset Type 1 or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA).

Many people with this type are often diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes because they are older and initially respond to diabetes medications. One study performed in Italy found that 84% of people with Type 2 diabetes had insulin resistance; however, the other 16% did not. These individuals were type 1.5 diabetics. In other words, a type 1.5 diabetic is similar to a type-2 diabetic, but they have an ongoing autoimmune condition like those of type-1 diabetes.

A misdiagnosis of a type 1.5 diabetic causes …