Carbohydrate Counting Effect on Control in Type 1’s

The effect of a balanced, carbohydrate-counting diet on glycemic control in Type 1 diabetic subjects is unclear. The aim of the study was to determine its effect in a pilot trial….

Researchers randomized 256 Type 1 diabetic subjects to a Nutritional Education Program (group A) or not (group B). Weight, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c), lipid profile, urate, creatinine, microalbuminuria and daily insulin requirements were measured at baseline and at the end of the study (9 months). During the study, the number of hypoglycemic events (blood glucose < 3.9 mmol/l) was also measured.

The results showed that compared with group B, group A showed: (i) a reduction in HbA_1c (group A: 7.8 ± 1.3–7.4 ± 0.9%; group B: 7.5 ± 0.8–7.5 ± 1.1%; P < 0.01); (ii) less hypoglycemic events (4% vs. 7%; P < 0.05); (iii) a reduction in dose of rapid insulin analogues (23.5 ± 10.9 vs. 27.7 ± 17.1 IU/24 h; P = 0.03). No other between-group changes were observed.

From the results, the study showed the importance of medical nutritional therapy on glycemic control in Type 1 diabetic subjects.

Diabetic Medicine Volume 27 Issue 4, Pages 477 – 479