Obese Type 2 Diabetes Patients Benefit From Highly Structured Nutrition Therapy

Dubbed as the "Nutrition Pathway Study", this study is said to have far reaching implications since it can completely alter the way nutrition therapy is administered to the overweight type 2 diabetic patients. This specified nutrition plan has been found to exert a significant impact on the levels of HbA1c, body mass index and the lipid profile in patients suffering from diabetes. 

This study was carried out by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center and was led by Osama Hamdy, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of the Obesity Clinical Program at Joslin Diabetes Center. The findings of the study were later produced at the 76th Scientific Session of American Diabetes Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. During the course of this study, the researchers compared three different models of nutrition therapy and studied their influence on the body weight, HbA1c levels and the blood pressure. 

Study Design 

For this experimental study, 108 obese patients suffering from type 2 diabetes were selected. All of these patients had uncontrolled diabetes and were receiving oral as well as injectable medications, with the exception of injectable insulin. The participants were randomly allocated to three different groups of 36 each. 

In the first group, the participants received the conventional nutrition therapy. The second group was administered a highly structured nutrition therapy with specified proportions of macronutrients and the number of calories. These patients were asked to maintain a log of their food intake. The third group of participants was given not only the highly structured meal plan but also received weekly coaching by a registered dietician. The level of activity and the medications remained unchanged for all the groups. 

Results 

The patients included in the first group were found to have no notable difference in their baseline levels of HbA1c whereas, in the second and third group, a sizeable reduction in the level of HbA1c was observed. There was a stark difference in the level to which HbA1c declined in the 2nd and 3rd group. 

While no distinguishable difference in the body weight was observed in the first group of patients, the participants of the second and third group experienced a remarkable drop in the body weight. Overall, the patients included in the study were found to have decreased the level of HbA1c by 0.67% after receiving the structured nutritive therapy. The researchers also noted around 3.5 kilograms reduction in the body weight over a period of 3 weeks. 

The Future Prospects

This study has helped make the incredible discovery that nutrition alone can help control diabetes more than exercise, medication or other therapies. According to the scientists, this drop in the HbA1c levels is more than with any of the drugs currently being prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. 

This study has provided considerable hope for the patients who have not been able to keep their blood sugar levels under a strict check even with multiple medication strategies and nutrition. These findings are expected to result in the formulation of detailed structured guidelines for nutrition therapy in overweight patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Can Be Prevented With Healthy Fats

According to a recent study, healthy and controlled diet rich in beneficial fats can help improve the glycemic status and can prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus. According to this research, consumption of foods rich in healthy fats like nuts, seeds and vegetable oil etc. along with the restriction of refined carbs and animal fat products can help prevent diabetes. 

The study was conducted by a team of researchers under the supervision of Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. The study was later published in PLOS. During the course of the study, the researchers evaluated the results of numerous studies (about 102) which included nearly 4,660 study subjects.

The aim of the study was to identify the types of fats that can play a beneficial role in prevention of type 2 diabetes as there have been increasing reports of diabetes and insulin resistance around the globe. No wonder, diabetes has been hailed as one of the modern epidemics plaguing the world. The researchers did an in-depth analysis of the effects of various types of fats and carbohydrates on the principal risk factors that contribute towards diabetes. 

Unsaturated fats vs. Saturated fats

Some of the studies that were analyzed entailed diets comprising entirely of unsaturated (mono and polyunsaturated) fats and carbs. The effects of such a diet on the body’s metabolism, blood sugar concentration, insulin levels, insulin sensitivity and synthesis were closely studied. It was observed that unsaturated fats considerably lower the amount of sugar in the blood stream, contributing towards improved insulin sensitivity. 

This belter blood sugar control by unsaturated fats also exerts beneficial effects on the heart health since each 0.1% decrease in the levels of HbA1c (the indicator of diabetes prognosis) helps lessen the likelihood of heart problems by 6.8%. 

The Future Implications

Until now, the research about diabetes was widely distributed between individual studies with no single study having compared the results of all of these diabetes trials. This study has helped integrate that information, comparing their findings in a cohesive form so that their implications can be better understood. 

These findings are said to have a profound effect on diabetes prevention and control since they will help the doctors and, more importantly, the general public, understand that not all fats are bad and that consuming unsaturated fats can help them prevent diabetes through better glycemic control. 

Consumption of polyunsaturated fats was observed to yield better control over blood sugar than either the saturated fats or the carbohydrates, highlighting the importance of unsaturated fats in controlling diabetes and improving insulin sensitivity of the cells. 
The researchers have stressed that the consumption of unsaturated fats in the form of walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybeans, safflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower seeds and oil, fish (like salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines etc.) is extremely important since they are rich sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Only through active preventive measures, especially diet, can the monster of diabetes be curbed.