Dietary carbohydrate content and glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes patients treated with pre-mixed human insulins

Abstract

Introduction. The treatment with pre-mixed human insulins (PMHI) is globally one of the most popular models of insulin therapy. Achieving good glycaemic control on PMHI may, however, be difficult, mostly due to inconsistent calorie and carbohydrate intake. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of dietary modification on glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with PMHI.

Materials and methods. In this prospective cross-over analysis we studied 8 T2DM PMHI treated individuals (mean HbA1c 8.4%). We exposed patients to 2 diets, both based on steady calorie/carbohydrate content: „A” — 50% calories from carbohydrates, 30% from fat, 20% from protein, „B”— 40% from carbohydrates, 30% from fat and 30% from protein. The study was performed in home settings, all the meals were delivered to the patients. Each patient was exposed to diet A for 9 days, than after 7 days of wash-out to 9 days of diet B. Glucose patterns were assessed with continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS, iPro, Medtronic, USA).

Results. Switching from diet A to diet B resulted in a decrease in mean glucose levels (CGMS data) from 145 mg/dL to 133 mg/dL (p = 0.0001), SD reduction from 51 to 42 mg/dL (p = 0.0429), and a decrease in time spent above the target of 180 mg/dL from 18% to 11% (p = 0.0006).

Conclusions. The study demonstrates that consistent and repeatable carbohydrate (CH) and calorie intake with moderate restriction of CHs helps to improve glycaemic control in this group of patients.