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Diabetes diet - Highlights
- Highlights
- Introduction
- General Dietary Guidelines
- Major Food Components
- Weight Control for Type 2 Diabetes
- Diabetic Exchange Lists
Description
An in-depth report on how people with diabetes can eat healthy diets and manage their blood glucose.Alternative Names
Diet - diabetes; Blood sugar management
Highlights:
General Recommendations for Diabetes Diet
- Patients with pre-diabetes or diabetes should consult a registered dietician who is knowledgeable about diabetes nutrition. An experienced dietician can provide valuable advice and help create an individualized diet plan.
- Even modest weight loss can improve insulin resistance (the basic problem in type 2 diabetes) in people with pre-diabetes or diabetes who are overweight or obese. Physical activity, in addition to diet modification, is important. Some patients may benefit from weight-loss medications when used along with lifestyle changes.
- The ADA encourages consumption of healthy fiber-rich foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. But it is also important to monitor carbohydrate intake through carbohydrate counting, exchanges, or estimation.
- The glycemic index, which measures how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood sugar levels, may be a helpful addition to carbohydrate counting.
Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets
- The American Diabetes Association (ADA) notes that weight loss plans that restrict carbohydrate or fat intake can help reduce weight in the short term (up to 1 year).
- According to the ADA, the most important component of a weight loss plan is not its dietary composition, but whether or not a person can stick with it. The ADA has found that both low-carb and low-fat diets work equally well, and patients may have a personal preference for one plan or the other.
- Patients with kidney problems need to limit their protein intake and should be careful about replacing carbohydrates with large amounts of protein foods. These patients should receive regular blood tests to monitor their lipid (blood fat and cholesterol) levels and kidney function while on a low-carb diet.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish, shellfish, flaxseed, walnuts, and canola) and omega-6 fatty acids (found in sunflower, safflower, corn, and soybean oils as well as nuts and seeds) are categorized as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). PUFAs have many benefits for the heart and overall health. In 2009, the American Heart Association recommended that people get at least 5 - 10% of their daily calories from omega-6 fatty acids. Research indicates that higher intakes of omega-6 fatty acids may improve insulin resistance and reduce diabetes risk.
Resources
- www.diabetes.org -- American Diabetes Association
- www.niddk.nih.gov -- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- www.jdrf.org -- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- www.kidney.org -- National Kidney Foundation
- www.joslin.org -- Joslin Diabetes Center
- www.eatright.org -- American Dietetic Association
- www.nal.usda.gov/fnic -- Food and Nutrition Information Center
References
American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes -- 2009. Diabetes Care. 2009 Jan;32 Suppl 1:S13-61.
American Diabetes Association, Bantle JP, Wylie-Rosett J, Albright AL, Apovian CM, Clark NG, et al. Nutrition recommendations and interventions for diabetes: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2008 Jan;31 Suppl 1:S61-78.
American Heart Association Nutrition Committee; Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, Carnethon M, Daniels S, et al. Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006 Jul 4;114(1):82-96. Epub 2006 Jun 19.
Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJ, Turner-McGrievy G, Gloede L, Jaster B, et al. A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2006 Aug;29(8):1777-83.
Gardner CD, Kiazand A, Alhassan S, Kim S, Stafford RS, Balise RR, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2007 Mar 7;297(9):969-77.
Gillies CL, Abrams KR, Lambert PC, Cooper NJ, Sutton AJ, Hsu RT, et al. Pharmacological and lifestyle interventions to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2007 Feb 10;334(7588):299. Epub 2007 Jan 19.
Harris WS, Mozaffarian D, Rimm E, Kris-Etherton P, Rudel LL, Appel LJ, Engler MM, Engler MB, Sacks F. Omega-6 fatty acids and risk for cardiovascular disease: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Nutrition Subcommittee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; and Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Circulation. 2009 Feb 17;119(6):902-7. Epub 2009 Jan 26.
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, McKeown-Eyssen G, Josse RG, Silverberg J, Booth GL, et al. Effect of a low-glycemic index or a high-cereal fiber diet on type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2008 Dec 17;300(23):2742-53.
Layman DK, Clifton P, Gannon MC, Krauss RM, Nuttall FQ. Protein in optimal health: heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1571S-1575S.
Lindstrom J, Ilanne-Parikka P, Peltonen M, Aunola S, Eriksson JG, Hemio K, et al. Sustained reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle intervention: follow-up of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study. Lancet. 2006 Nov 11;368(9548):1673-9.
Martínez-González MA, de la Fuente-Arrillaga C, Nunez-Cordoba JM, Basterra-Gortari FJ, Beunza JJ, Vazquez Z, et al. Adherence to Mediterranean diet and risk of developing diabetes: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2008 Jun 14;336(7657):1348-51. Epub 2008 May 29.
McMillan-Price J, Petocz P, Atkinson F, O'Neill K, Samman S, Steinbeck K, et al. Comparison of 4 diets of varying glycemic load on weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction in overweight and obese young adults: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Jul 24;166(14):1466-75.
Schulze MB, Schulz M, Heidemann C, Schienkiewitz A, Hoffmann K, Boeing H. Fiber and magnesium intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes: a prospective study and meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 2007 May 14;167(9):956-65.
Stranges S, Marshall JR, Natarajan R, Donahue RP, Trevisan M, Combs GF, et al. Effects of long-term selenium supplementation on the incidence of type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Jul 9; [Epub ahead of print]
Ting RZ, Szeto CC, Chan MH, Ma KK, Chow KM. Risk factors of vitamin B(12) deficiency in patients receiving metformin. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Oct 9;166(18):1975-9.
- Reviewed last on: 5/5/2009
- Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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