Frequent diet education, delivered by dietitians, helps improve diet in T2D patients

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can benefit from a dietitian-led intensive dietary intervention, including frequent dietary education, which helps promote more healthful eating patterns, a recent study has found.

Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial, enrolling 87 T2D patients who were assigned to receive dietitian-given nutrition education at every outpatient visit (intensive intervention group; n=44) or nutritional education once a year (control group; n=43). The outcome of interest was change in total energy intake, energy-providing nutrients, and consumption of 18 food groups, assessed at baseline and at 1 and 2 years after the intervention.

In the intensive intervention group, total energy intake dropped from a mean of 1,805 kcal/day at baseline to 1,738 and 1,660 kcal/day at 1 and 2 years (p=0.024). This was accompanied by an overall reduction in carbohydrate intake, dropping from 251 g/day at baseline to 230 and 218 g/day at 1 and 2 years, respectively (p=0.016).

The intensive education had no significant effects on protein and fat consumption over 2 years.

Moreover, consumption of cereals, confections, nuts, seeds, and seasonings decreased following the intensive intervention, while intake of shellfish and fish increased.

Control participants, on the other hand, showed none of these changes in food intake. Their overall energy intake (p=0.846), as well as protein (p=0.607), fat (p=0.203), and carbohydrate (p=0.106) profile, did not significantly change over 2 years.