New Mediterranean, DASH-based diet improves glycaemic control

An investigational diet plan based on the Mediterranean and DASH* diets may help improve glycaemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a recent study has found.

The researchers conducted a 12-week open-label randomized clinical trial including 53 adults with T2D. Group A (n=16) received the investigational diet, and groups B (n=20) and C (n=17) took a food exchange system (FES)-based diet given as a ready meal or not, respectively. The primary endpoint was the change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) over 12 weeks of intervention.

Patients in group A saw a mean HbA1c change of –0.84±0.73 percent from baseline to week 6. In the full analysis set, this represented a significantly greater decrease than in groups B (p=0.021) and C (p=0.003). The mean change values over the same time span in the respective groups were –0.39±0.39 percent and –0.23±0.42 percent.

By week 12, group A participants logged a mean HbA1c change of –0.97±0.97 percent relative to baseline. In groups B and C, the average change values were –0.51±0.65 percent and –0.36±0.75 percent, respectively. Per-protocol analysis revealed that those in group A saw a significantly greater decrease in HbA1c (p=0.028 and p=0.02, respectively).

The researchers found that the investigational diet was similarly superior to the FES comparators in terms of the other indicators: 6-week fasting plasma glucose, 6-week C-reactive protein, and lipid profile, among others.

 *Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension