Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. However, this number is based on the cause of death report on death certificates and is therefore mostly likely a low estimate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only 35 to 40 percent of people with diabetes who die have diabetes listed as the underlying cause of death. Diabetes is the leading cause for kidney failure and cardiovascular diseases, both of which are life-threatening diseases. Following a diabetes-specific diet can help to prevent comorbidities, improve quality of life, and reduce mortality for diabetics.
Blood Glucose Control
Following a diabetic diet improves blood glucose control. The UK Prospective Diabetes Study looked at the effect of diabetic diet on 3,044 newly diagnosed diabetics. The study, which was published in the September 1990 issue of "Metabolism," found that three months of intensive nutrition therapy resulted in a decrease of 1.9 percent in hemoglobin A1C from 8.9 percent to 7 percent. A1C is a marker of blood glucose control during the past three months. The goal for diabetic treatment is to reduce A1C to less than 7%, based on the guidelines by the American Diabetes Association.
Weight Loss
Nutritional intervention leads to weight loss in people with diabetes. The Look AHEAD trial funded by the National Institutes of Health investigated 5,145 patients with Type 2 diabetes in 16 centers in the U.S. Just one year into the trial, the group that received diabetic diet and lifestyle intervention lost 8.6 percent of their initial weight on average, and their cardiovascular fitness increased by 20.9 percent. The study is being carried further to determine the long-term effects of such weight loss on clinical outcome of diabetes.
Blood Pressure Reduction
A diabetic diet that includes more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy but less saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol reduces blood pressure, according to the American Diabetes Association. The ADA also recommends dietary restriction of sodium and alcohol to further decrease blood pressure. A study of the DASH trial published in "New England Journal of Medicine" in 2001 indicated that moderate sodium restriction produces a drop of 5 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 2 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals, and 3 mmHg systolic and 1 mmHg diastolic for individuals with normal blood pressure.
Prevention of Diabetes-Related Complications
CDC data show that the risk for cardiovascular diseases and stroke is two to four times higher in diabetics. Diabetics suffer from microvascular complications such as kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage. Diabetes accounts for 44 percent of new cases of kidney failure and is the leading cause for blindness in adults. Sixty to 70 percent of patients with diabetes experience some form of nerve damage.
A diabetes-specific diet, by creating better glucose control and blood pressure reduction, can help to reduce these complications. The CDC estimates that microvascular complications can decrease by 40% with every one percent drop in A1C. The UK Prospective Diabetes Study demonstrated that every 10 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure resulted in a 12-percent reduction in diabetes-related complications.
References
- CDC: National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2007
- American Diabetes Association: Evidence-based nutrition principles and recommendations for the treatment and prevention of diabetes and related complications
- Metabolism: UK Prospective Diabetes Study 7: Response of fasting plasma glucose to diet therapy in newly presenting type II diabetic patients, UKPDS Group; 1990
- Diabetes Care: Reduction in weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors in individuals with Type 2 diabetes. One-year results of the Look AHEAD trial; 2007
- British Medical Journal: Tight blood pressure control and risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes: UKPDS 38. UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group; 1998
