Medical Nutrition Therapy In Type I Diabetics

A study done at Joslin Medical Center has shown that following a prescribed diet is associated with better glycemic control in Type I diabetes. The researcher stated that in recent years treatment had shifted focus to medications and technologies. In this study the importance of diet was evaluated.

The study followed 119 children aged 9-14 and asked how closely they followed prescribed dietary intake like carbohydrate counting, balancing insulin dose to carbohydrates consumed,nand the quality of the diet itself including sweets and fats.

Subjects who indicated a close adherence to prescribed diet therapy achieved lower HbA1C levels than those who did not adhere to their diet. By achieving target HbA1C levels, chances for complications are reduced. According to the researcher “ the relative importance of diet has not been evaluated in this era.” The paper concluded that “dietary adherence may represent an important modifiable factor in the treatment of youth with type 1 diabetes. In this era of intensive management, future interventions aimed at increasing diabetes-specific dietary adherence may improve glycemic control in this population.”nnn