Nutritional habits of subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Mediterranean Basin: comparison with the non-diabetic population and the dietary recommendations. Multi-Centre Study of the Mediterranean Group for the Study of Diabetes (MGSD)

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional habits of Type 2 diabetic patients among Mediterranean countries and also with those of their background population and with the nutritional recommendations of the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group.

Methods: We did a cross-sectional study of 1833 non-diabetic subjects and 1895 patients with Type 2 diabetes, in nine centres in six Mediterranean countries. A dietary questionnaire validated against the 3-Day Diet Diary was used.

Results: In diabetic patients the contribution of proteins, carbohydrates and fat to the energy intake varied greatly among centres, ranging from 17.6% to 21.0% for protein, from 37.7% to 53.0% for carbohydrates and from 27.2% to 40.8% for fat, following in every centre the trends of the non-diabetic population. Furthermore, diabetic patients compared to the corresponding background population had: (i). lower energy intake, (ii). lower carbohydrate and higher protein contribution to the energy intake, (iii). higher prevalence of obesity, ranging from 9 to 50%. The adherence to the nutritional recommendations for proteins, carbohydrate and fat was very low ranging from 1.4 to 23.6%, and still decreased when fibre was also considered.

Conclusion/interpretation: In diabetic patients of the Mediterranean area: (i). dietary habits vary greatly among countries, according to the same trends of the background population; (ii). the prevalence of obesity is much lower than the 80% reported for patients with diabetes in Western countries; (iii). Carbohydrate intake is decreased with a complementary increase of protein and fat consumption, resulting to a poor compliance with the nutritional recommendations.