RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HABITUAL DIET AND BLOOD-GLUCOSE AND LIPIDS IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES (NIDDM)

The relationships (adjusted for age, sex, diabetes duration and BMI) b etween habitual diet and blood glucose and lipids in NIDDM subjects fr om 7 cities in Canada were studied using duplicate 3-day diet records and measurements of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated haemogl obin (HbA1c), serum total (TC) and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides ( TG). In subjects treated by diet alone (n=75), HbA1c was inversely rel ated to carbohydrate intake (r=-0.302, p=0.01) and directly to diet gl ycaemic index (r=0.321, p<0.01). In subjects on metformin (n=82), FPG was inversely related to dietary fibre (r=-0.265, p<0.02). In insulin- treated subjects (n=87), HbA1c was inversely related to carbohydrate ( r=-0.303, p<0.01), fibre (r=-0.345, p<0.01) and simple sugars (r=-0.21 9, p<0.05) and positively to fat (r=0.313, p<0.01). Carbohydrate intak e tended to be inversely related to HDL (p<0.05 only in subjects on in sulin) but was not related to TG. Diet glycaemic index was related to TG in insulin-treated subjects with raised TG (r=0.504, p<0.02). These results suggest that high carbohydrate and fibre intakes and low diet glycaemic index may be associated with improved blood glucose control in some persons with NIDDM, especially those treated with diet alone or insulin. There was no evidence that high intake of carbohydrate or simple sugars was related to raised serum triglycerides.