Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Dec 30;12(1):101.
doi: 10.3390/nu12010101.

Pasta Consumption and Connected Dietary Habits: Associations with Glucose Control, Adiposity Measures, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in People with Type 2 Diabetes-TOSCA.IT Study

Marilena Vitale  1 , Maria Masulli  1 , Angela Albarosa Rivellese  1 , Enzo Bonora  2 , Anna Carla Babini  3 , Giovanni Sartore  4 , Laura Corsi  5 , Raffaella Buzzetti  6 , Giuseppe Citro  7 , Maria Pompea Antonia Baldassarre  8 , Antonio Carlo Bossi  9 , Carla Giordano  10 , Stefania Auciello  1 , Elisabetta Dall'Aglio  11 , Rossella Iannarelli  12 , Laura Tonutti  13 , Michele Sacco  14 , Graziano Di Cianni  15 , Gennaro Clemente  16 , Giovanna Gregori  17 , Sara Grioni  18 , Vittorio Krogh  18 , Gabriele Riccardi  1 , Olga Vaccaro  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Pasta Consumption and Connected Dietary Habits: Associations with Glucose Control, Adiposity Measures, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in People with Type 2 Diabetes-TOSCA.IT Study

Marilena Vitale et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Pasta is a refined carbohydrate with a low glycemic index. Whether pasta shares the metabolic advantages of other low glycemic index foods has not really been investigated. The aim of this study is to document, in people with type-2 diabetes, the consumption of pasta, the connected dietary habits, and the association with glucose control, measures of adiposity, and major cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: We studied 2562 participants. The dietary habits were assessed with the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) questionnaire. Sex-specific quartiles of pasta consumption were created in order to explore the study aims.

Results: A higher pasta consumption was associated with a lower intake of proteins, total and saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugar, and fiber. Glucose control, body mass index, prevalence of obesity, and visceral obesity were not significantly different across the quartiles of pasta intake. No relation was found with LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, but there was an inverse relation with HDL-cholesterol. Systolic blood pressure increased with pasta consumption; but this relation was not confirmed after correction for confounders.

Conclusions: In people with type-2 diabetes, the consumption of pasta, within the limits recommended for total carbohydrates intake, is not associated with worsening of glucose control, measures of adiposity, and major cardiovascular risk factors.

Keywords: body mass index; cardiovascular risk factors; dietary habits; glucose control; pasta consumption; type 2 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

G.R. is member of the Scientific Board of the Barilla Foundation for Food and Nutrition and of the Health and Wellbeing Advisory Board of the Barilla Company. All of the other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Adherence to the nutritional recommendations [2,3] by sex-specific quartiles of pasta consumption, expressed as g/1000 Kcal. TE—total energy; SFA—saturated fatty acids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Diabetes Association Lifestyle Management: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2019. Diabetes Care. 2019;42:S46–S60. doi: 10.2337/dc19-S005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Standard Italiani per la Cura del Diabete Mellito 2018. [(accessed on 16 October 2019)]; Available online: https://aemmedi.it/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/AMD-Standard-unico1.pdf.
    1. Mann J.I., De Leeuw I., Hermansen K., Karamanos B., Karlström B., Katsilambros N., Riccardi G., Rivellese A.A., Rizkalla S., Slama G., et al. Evidence-based nutritional approaches to the treatment and prevention of diabetes mellitus. Nutr. Metab. Cardiovasc. Dis. 2004;14:373–394. doi: 10.1016/S0939-4753(04)80028-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ajala O., English P., Pinkney J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of different dietary approaches to the management of type 2 diabetes. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2013;97:505–516. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.042457. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kirk J.K., Graves D.E., Craven T.E., Lipkin E.W., Austin M., Margolis K.L. Restricted-carbohydrate diets in patients with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis. J. Am. Diet Assoc. 2008;108:91–100. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2007.10.003. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types