St. Louis, MO, November 23, 2023 - Proper nutrition therapy is
essential for the successful management of type 1 and type 2
diabetes and registered dietitians (RDs) can play a key role as
part of the health care team. An article in the December issue of
the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reviews the
evidence and nutrition practice recommendations presented in the
American Dietetic Association Nutrition Practice Guidelines for
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Adults. This complete and systematic
review presents 29 key nutrition practice guidelines in order to
best support people with diabetes.
According to Marion J Franz, MS, RD, lead author and noted
nutrition consultant, "This publication has reviewed the process
for developing the guidelines, identified major and contributing
factors for diabetes nutrition therapy, reviewed and summarized
research, and stated the nutrition practice recommendations that
are to be integrated into the nutrition care process. The nutrition
practice guidelines provide recommendations for assessing
client/patient needs and for selecting interventions, monitoring
and evaluating outcomes. The evidence is strong that medical
nutrition therapy provided by RDs is an effective and essential
therapy in the management of diabetes. RDs are uniquely skilled in
this process."
The authors conducted a thorough review of the research
literature to distill evidence-based nutrition recommendations and
practice guidelines regarding the major nutrition therapy factors -
carbohydrates (intake, sucrose, non-nutritive sweeteners, glycemic
index, fiber), protein intake, cardiovascular disease, and weight
management. Armed with information regarding what works and why,
RDs can encourage lifestyle changes and select appropriate
interventions based on key recommendations that include consistency
in day-to-day carbohydrate intake, adjusting insulin doses to match
carbohydrate intake, substitution of sucrose-containing foods,
usual protein intake, cardioprotective nutrition interventions,
weight management strategies, regular physical activity, and use of
self-monitored blood glucose data.
Key recommendations:
- Consistency in day-to-day carbohydrate intake for persons with
type 2 diabetes
- Adjusting insulin dose to match carbohydrate intake for persons
with type 1 diabetes
- Focusing on total carbohydrate intake rather than the type of
carbohydrate
- Cardio protective nutrition interventions
- Weight management strategies
- Regular physical activity
- Use of self glucose monitoring data to determine if goals are
being met
SOURCE