Objective: To know the nutritional pattern of people with diabetes in Spain and that pattern's relationship with targets of metabolic control.
Research design and methods: The Diabetes Nutrition and Complications Trial (DNCT) is a prospective multicenter study designed to determine the nutritional behavior of diabetic patients in Spain using 7-day food diaries. A total of 337 diabetic patients, 144 (70 men and 74 women) with type I and 193 (81 men and 112 women) with type II diabetes, satisfactorily completed the 7-day food diaries from May 1993 to December 1994.
Results: The median energy intake of the Spanish diabetic subjects was between 1,453 and 2,217 kcal/day (6.1-9.3 MJ/day), distributed as follows: 38-40% from carbohydrate, 19-23% from protein, and 36-41.5% from fat (11.1-13.9% saturated fatty acids, 4.6-5.8% polyunsaturated fatty acids, and 19.7-21.9% monounsaturated fatty acids). Of the subjects, 69% had a cholesterol level <5.6 mmol, 97% had an HDL cholesterol level >0.9 mmol, and 85% had a triglyceride level <1.7 mmol, while <36% had an HbA(1c) value >8%.
Conclusions: People with diabetes in Spain have near-optimal serum lipid levels and maintain reasonably good blood glucose control and BMI, suggesting that diabetes management that includes the usual Spanish diet, which is low in carbohydrates and high in fat, especially monounsaturated fat, might be adequate.