Dietary Management of Diabetes

Diet plays an important role in the effective management of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes and is fundamental to the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The aim of nutritional management of diabetes is to optimize glycaemic and blood pressure management, correct any lipid abnormalities, and, in doing so, reduce the risk of long-term complications. Weight management is now understood to be the primary strategy for prevention of type 2 diabetes and for glycaemic management in people with type 2 diabetes who have overweight or obesity. Remission of type 2 diabetes refers to the normalization of blood glucose concentrations in the absence of anti-diabetes medications, although there is currently no consensus on the exact definition. The relationship between carbohydrate intake and glycaemia in type 2 diabetes is not straightforward and currently there is no definitive evidence that carbohydrate reduction per se durably lowers glycaemia.