ABOUT 
SPECIALTY CARE
What are the most common eating patterns registered dietitians recommend for patients with type 2 diabetes? Topping the list are low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style, and calorie-restricted eating patterns, according to survey findings published this week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
“This study tells us that nutrition counselors in Michigan are recommending a wide variety of eating patterns for type 2 diabetes management based on their clinic expertise and patient preference, consistent with clinical practice guidelines,” explains co-lead author Rina Hisamatsu, MPH, RDN.
“However, this study also revealed that both very low-carb and very low-calorie eating patterns were recommended against due to counselors’ perception that they are too restrictive and difficult to sustain over time,” Hisamatsu added.
Among the 81 respondents, 78% recommended low-carbohydrate eating patterns. At the same time, 51% recommended avoiding a very low-carbohydrate eating pattern, finding it too restrictive and difficult to sustain over time. The study results suggest a need for additional strategies to increase the patient-centered use of evidence-based options in clinical practice settings.
The cross-sectional online survey was developed by the Michigan Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes (MCT2D) and administered to registered dietitians and health care providers affiliated with MCT2D. The study aimed to describe the eating patterns that nutrition counselors most
commonly recommend that patients with type 2 diabetes follow or avoid, and the rationale for those recommendations.
The paper "Nutrition counsellors’ recommended eating patterns for individuals with type 2 diabetes in the USA” was authored by members of the MCT2D and represents the organization's first publication.
The paper's lead authors are MCT2D data analyst Katherine Khosrovaneh, MPH, and MCT2D registered dietitian Rina Hisamatsu, MPH, RDN.
Hisamatsu sees this paper as the beginning of an ongoing investigation into novel support for nutritional counseling in primary care. “Our findings reveal potential opportunities to explore how to best support the full range of evidence-based approaches through provider education and break down barriers to implementation so that carbohydrate-restricted eating patterns may be offered as viable approaches for patients who enjoy and choose to sustain this lifestyle.”
Khosrovaneh adds, “Our next study is focused on patient-reported outcomes to understand the patient experience with dietary counseling in their primary care physician's office.”
Co-director of the MCT2D, Lauren Oshman, MD, MPH, FAAFP, “This study demonstrates the power of a quality collaboration to answer important real-world questions that impact the million patients in Michigan with Type 2 Diabetes.”
Subscribe to the MCT2D Newsletter
Once per month we deliver news, updates, events, and more directly to you!
ccteam@mct2d.org
Support for The Michigan Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes (MCT2D) is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as part of the BCBSM Value Partnerships program.
Although Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and MCT2D work collaboratively, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of BCBSM or any of its employees.