THE DEGREE OF DAY-TO-DAY VARIATION IN FOOD-INTAKE IN DIABETIC-PATIENTS

A prospective study of food intake using 7 day food diaries was undert aken in 92 diabetic men and women aged 17-81 years. The median individ ual day-to-day coefficients of variation for energy intake were: in in sulin treated patients 12.0 %, in non-insulin treated patients 13.7 %; for carbohydrate intake 14.5 % and 13.8 % and for fat 20.7 % and 20.8 %, respectively. The median individual differences between the minimu m and maximum daily intake of energy in insulin treated patients was 7 87 kcal, in non-insulin treated patients 649 kcal, for carbohydrate in take 89g and 77g and for fat 50g and 43g, respectively. Only 39 % pati ents ate within 20 % of their prescribed carbohydrate diet. In non-ins ulin treated patients on prescribed calorie controlled diets, calorie consumption was on average 46 % in excess of that prescribed. Although the variation in dietary intake in diabetic patients is large, it is smaller than that reported in non-diabetic subjects in the UK. This va riation is likely to make the manipulation of other antidiabetic thera py both difficult and somewhat arbitrary.