Nutrition Strategies for Patients on New Incretin Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes

The number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has grown from an estimated 20.8 million in 2005 to 29.1 million in 2012 or 9.3% of the population (www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basis/statistics). Medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes targeting incretin hormones for improved glycemic control have emerged as favorable second-line additions to metformin and lifestyle changes. In this article, we discuss the benefits of using glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist medications and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors along with their implications for weight and dietary management of type 2 diabetes.