Go Pro

For IFBB pro and type-1 diabetic Dr. Brett Kahn, nutrition is a matter of life and death.

- Mike Carlson

It was the near the end of his senior year season at Michigan State when running back Brett Kahn was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He had been feeling sick and lethargic for almost a year and lost weight despite eating around 7,000 calories day, but he had grinded through the football season before doctors were able to confirm that he was suffering from a form of late-onset juvenile diabetes and his pancreas was slowly shutting down its insulin production.

Over a decade later, Kahn is now a Dymatize-sponsored athlete, IFBB Men’s Physique pro, fitness model, and has his doctor of chiropractic. He owns Mobility Spine and Rehab in Charleston, South Carolina, where he lives with his fiancée, IFBB Bikini Pro and fellow Dymatize athlete Katherine Ampolini.

Kahn’s meteoric rise in the fitness world is a testament to his determination and knowledge of how the body—specifically his body—utilizes nutrients. As a type-1 diabetic, he injects himself with insulin upwards of 10 times a day. For Kahn, macronutrients are a game of chess rather than checkers.

“A type-1 is always evaluating his diet,” he says. “Eating is like keeping a scale balanced, but there are seven sides instead of two sides. Is it morning or afternoon? What kind of carbs are these? Am I going to be exercising later? I call it the ‘what’s next’ factor.”

Mike Carlson: As a type-1 diabetic, what’s your diet like?