None of the interventions were significantly better than the others in lowering glucose parameters .
The Mediterranean diet reduced HbA1c significantly compared to usual care but not compared to the Palaeolithic diet .
The effect of alterations in dietary practice irrespective of weight loss on glycaemic control can not be concluded from the present review .
BACKGROUND Overweight or obese individuals with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to lose weight for optimal glucose management , yet many find this difficult .
Determining whether alterations in dietary patterns irrespective of weight loss can aid glucose control has not been fully investigated .
METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis aim ing to determine the effects of a Mediterranean diet compared to other dietary interventions on glycaemic control irrespective of weight loss .
Dietary strategies for patients with type 2 diabetes in the era of multi-approaches; review and results from the Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT).
Dietary intervention is recognized as a key component in prevention and management of type 2 diabetes ( T2DM ) and the debate persists : which dietary strategy is most effective . In the Dietary Intervention R and omized Controlled Trial ( DIRECT ) 322 moderately obese participants were r and omized for 2 years to one of three diet groups : low-fat , Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate . Differential effects were observed in the sub-group of patients with T2DM at 24 months : participants r and omized to the Mediterranean diet , which had the highest intake of dietary fibers and unsaturated to saturated fat ratio , achieved greater significant improvements in fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels . Patients who were r and omized to the low-carbohydrate diet , which had the minimal intake of carbohydrates , achieved a significant reduction of hemoglobin A1C . Although improvements were observed in all groups , the low-fat diet was likely to be less beneficial in terms of glycemic control and lipid metabolism . Interpretation of results from different studies on dietary strategies may be complex since there is often no consistency in diet compositions , calorie restriction , intensity of intervention , dietary assessment or extent of adherence in the trial . Nevertheless , it seems that low fat restricted calorie diets are effective for weight loss and are associated with some metabolic benefits ; however , some recent trials have shown that low carbohydrate diets are as efficient in inducing weight loss and in some metabolic measures such as serum triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol may be even superior to low fat diets . When addressing the issue of diet quality rather than quantity applying the glycemic index may have some added benefits . Furthermore special features of the Mediterranean diet have apparent additional favorable effects for patients with T2DM
None of the interventions were significantly better than the others in lowering glucose parameters .
The Mediterranean diet reduced HbA1c significantly compared to usual care but not compared to the Palaeolithic diet .
The effect of alterations in dietary practice irrespective of weight loss on glycaemic control can not be concluded from the present review .
BACKGROUND Overweight or obese individuals with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to lose weight for optimal glucose management , yet many find this difficult .
Determining whether alterations in dietary patterns irrespective of weight loss can aid glucose control has not been fully investigated .
METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis aim ing to determine the effects of a Mediterranean diet compared to other dietary interventions on glycaemic control irrespective of weight loss .