A startling new discovery suggests that diabetics may be able to use a relatively straightforward trick to manage their blood sugar levels. By adopting a very low-carb diet, people with Type 1 diabetes can control blood sugar in a way researchers have not seen before, a huge discovery that could provide hope for people suffering with the disease.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, examined 300 people with Type 1 diabetes, 130 of whom were children. Researchers found that those who ate a very low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet were able to have great control of their blood sugar levels despite taking lower doses of insulin.

They were even able to keep average blood sugar levels to 5.67 percent, below the normal level of 5.7 percent and far below the blood sugar threshold for diabetics, which is 6.5 percent. An extremely low-carb diet involves the consumption of less than 30 grams of carbohydrates per day, where as moderate consumption would be 130 to 225 grams per day. That means no sugar-sweetened foods or drinks, white bread, pasta, or starchy fruits and vegetables.

“The patients were drawn from TypeOneGrit, a Facebook community of people with type 1 diabetes committed to a very-low-carb diet as recommended by the book Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution (Richard Bernstein, MD, is a co-author on the study),” reads the statement from Boston Children’s Hospital. “Of 493 people who took the survey, 316 provided enough information to be included in the analysis. For 138 of these participants, the researchers were able to confirm diabetes diagnosis, blood-sugar control measures, metabolic health measures and other outcomes with health care providers or through review of medical records. Forty-two percent of participants were children.”