Healthy Eating Patterns Yield Better Outcomes for Type 2 Diabetes
Healthy eating habits yield improved outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes, a recent study found.
For their study, the researchers assessed 197 patients with type 2 diabetes. Clinical, laboratory, and nutritional evaluations were performed for each patient.
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“Healthy” eating patterns (n = 97) were defined as a high intake of whole carbohydrates, dairy, white meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, while “unhealthy” eating patterns (n = 100) consisted of a high intake of refined carbohydrates, ultra-processed foods, sweets and desserts.
A quantitative food frequency questionnaire and cluster analysis were used to evaluate dietary intake and eating patterns, respectively. Patients were categorized based on various therapeutic targets for blood pressure, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, and cholesterol levels.
Results indicated that the therapeutic targets for fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were more frequently achieved by patients practicing healthy eating patterns vs those with unhealthy eating patterns.
These associations of healthy eating patterns with achieving therapeutic targets for fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and LDL cholesterol were confirmed via Poisson regression (PR; 1.59, 2.09, and 1.37, respectively).
“A healthy eating pattern, including the frequent intake of whole carbohydrates, dairy, white meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables, is associated with reduced fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and LDL cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes,” the researchers concluded.
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Sarmento RA, Antonio JP, Lamas de Miranda I, Nicoletto BB, Carnevale de Almeida J. Eating patterns and health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. J Endocr Soc. 2018;2(1):42-52. https://doi.org/10.1210/js.2017-00349.