Introduction
It is proper to acknowledge the interrelation between diabetes and nutrition. According to Assinewe and Gloria, diabetes and nutrition are interrelated in many ways (262). Firstly, technical and medical reviews suggest that the etiology of diabetes includes nutrition. Additionally, on the confirmation of the diabetes disease, the dietary habits of an individual usually must change after the advice of a dietician. As part of diabetes awareness programs, Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is a fundamental requirement for thwarting diabetes and managing existing diabetes conditions, including lowering the probability of diabetes-related complications (Assinewe and Gloria 262).
MNT programs are based on years of significant research that nutrition is vital in disease management. Qualified and registered dieticians do MNT programs, proving that there is a relationship between diabetes and nutrition.
Nutrition and the Etiology of Diabetes
Cross-sectional, prospective, and retrospective studies link the disease’s etiology as the first relation between nutrition and diabetes. According to Waqas et al., Indians and Egyptians linked diabetes etiology to the dietary habits of the wealthy people in the society where the most associated foods were oil, flour, and sugar (65). Waqas et al. postulate that the food shortage during the first and second World Wars was the primary cause of the reduced incidence of diabetes in the affected European countries (65). Additionally, during World War II, in the nations with no food shortage, like the USA and Japan, there was no significant change in the incidence of diabetes.
Unhealthy eating habits such as high amounts of the macronutrients of carbohydrates and fats are risk factors for diabetes. In another study, Busili and Ehman hypothesize that individuals with relatively higher consumption of carbohydrates, fats, and sugars have a higher probability of acquiring diabetes (4). Any efforts to lessen and eliminate the risk of developing diabetes must involve the dietary habit of limiting the consumption of carbohydrates, sugar, and fats. Busili and Ehman emphasize nutrition as being fundamental in managing diabetes (4). To lessen the risk of diabetes infection, people should avoid foods high in sugar and instead go for those rich in soluble fiber.
Physicians advise people to have self-dietary management that aims to lessen the possibility of obesity. Obesity is among the many risk factors for diabetes, and thus any precautions towards avoiding the condition count towards mitigating diabetes. It has been suggested that the risk factors for obesity include sedentary lifestyles that involve having meals in massive proportions, with the majority of the food choices having high sugar and calorie content. In a study conducted in Saudi Arabia, the researchers were able to find out that the statistics for an increased incidence of diabetes coincided with an increased number of fast food outlets (Waqas et al. 65). In addition, further scrutiny revealed that most fast-food restaurants recorded a high number of sales for soft drinks whose sugar content was extremely high.
Impact of Diabetes on Nutrition
There can be no other impact of diabetes on nutrition other than necessary nutritional adjustments. Patients with newly-acquired diabetes seek the advice of dieticians to acquaint themselves with the appropriate diet. Notably, the dietary changes must be accountable, reasonable, and targeted to achieve specific goals for diabetic patients. In response to the nutritional needs of people with diabetes, dieticians recommend an MNT prescription. MNT aims to adjust the dietary habits of diabetics with a concern on the blood sugar levels and the amount of fat and carbohydrate in meals. Patients on an MNT can never have a regular diet like the others or before developing the disease.
The management of diabetes depends on three factors obesity, energy balance, and weight loss. According to Belfort-DeAguiar and Dongju, the three factors of obesity, energy balance, and weight loss are fundamental in managing diabetes (122). Therapeutic approaches that aim to manage diabetes target the three factors of obesity, energy balance, and weight loss. It cannot be stressed further that an individual’s ability to control their body weight is instrumental in avoiding diabetes. When people can control their body weight, they can lower the risk factors for diabetes. Notably, physicians advise patients to ensure no significant gain in body weight.
To achieve weight loss targets, there needs to be an adjustment in the dietary allocation. Most importantly, people need to ensure the weight loss strategy does not involve an adjustment in diet alone. In addition to the changes in the diet, exercising is necessary. It is advisable to follow specific diet plans for any physical exercise plan to control weight gain and achieve weight loss. Either way, achieving weight loss through exercising or diet adjustment is insufficient.
It is recommended to have a plan for both exercising and dietary adjustment. However, weight loss efforts can all be in vain if a dietary adjustment is not proper or not strictly followed. Therefore, it is imperative to note that dietary adjustment is fundamental in achieving any weight loss targets. It then implies that the impact of diet on weight loss is more effective than other strategies, including physical exercise.
When managing a diabetes condition through weight control and loss, there must be an adjustment in the patient’s diet. A review of several special diets reveals significant results when the diets of choice majorly control the intake of macronutrients and not micronutrients. Notably, many weight-loss diets advise the reduction of macronutrients like the low-fat diet, which advocates for lesser fats and the low-carbohydrate diet, which recommends a lower intake of carbohydrates. Studies have indicated that the effectiveness of weight-loss diets is factual (Fred 1301). In many instances, when patients replace weight-loss diets with self-chosen foods, weight gain becomes a certainty.
Diabetes continues to influence the choice of diets for many people, and that norm is set to continue. Most recently, there has been a shift in the management and control of diabetes through nutritional changes. Notably, nutritionists advise patients to consider meal replacement products as an alternative to weight-loss diets. Meal replacement products are meant to serve the nutritional requirements of people on a diet by providing the exact content of the nutrients (Ahuja et al. 128). The products can be either substituted for regular meals or accompanied the other foods during the meals. There is a preference for meal replacement products because of the accuracy in the amounts of the macronutrients and micronutrients. There are different brands of the products, with many seeking to win consumers’ attention through low-calorie formulations.
In the wake of the advancement of meal replacement products, nutritionists advise specific diet programs that incorporate the new entrants in diabetics’ nutrition programs. Firstly, dieticians recommend the patients avoid skipping meals as breakfast and instead consume certain meal replacement products. Secondly, people with diabetes are at liberty to take the product for lunch but with an assortment of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Thirdly, and most importantly, dieticians recommend that people replace snacks that they take in between the major meals with meal replacement products. Dieticians believe that meal replacement products provide complete nutritional needs for diabetics in their exact amounts. It is proper to acknowledge that dieticians and other nutrition professionals will continue to come up with dietary adjustments for people with diabetes.
Conclusion
It is improper to ignore the relationship between diabetes and nutrition. Nutrition impacts diabetes because unhealthy diets with high consumption of carbohydrates and fats are risk factors for diabetes. Therefore, it can be alleged that nutrition is involved in the etiology of diabetes. On the other hand, diabetes influences the nutrition requirements where the dietary allocation of diabetics must be adjusted. The most common changes include the adoption of weight-loss and weight-management diets.
In most cases, weight-loss diets involve the reduction of the patient’s intake of either of the macronutrients of carbohydrates and fats. In current times, dieticians advise people with diabetes to follow MNT prescriptions. Additionally, new products such as meal replacement products are meant to solve the inaccuracies in calculating nutritional amounts in the special diets for people with diabetes. The advancement of meal replacement products and their popularity pointer toward a trend where the diabetes condition will continue impacting nutrition. In conclusion, it is imperative for diabetics and the general public to recognize, understand, and appreciate the relationship between diabetes and nutrition.
Works Cited
Ahuja, Ashima, et al. “Diabetes silent killer: Medical focus on food replacement and dietary plans.” Advances in Bioresearch vol. 11, no. 5, 2020, pp. 128-135.
Assinewe, Fern, and Gloria Daybutch. “Decolonizing Diabetes.” International Journal of Indigenous Health vol. 14, no. 2, 2019, pp. 252-275.
Belfort-DeAguiar, Renata, and Dongju Seo. “Food cues and obesity: overpowering hormones and energy balance regulation.” Current obesity reports vol. 7, No. 2, 2018, pp. 122-129.
Brouns, Fred. “Overweight and diabetes prevention: is a low-carbohydrate–high-fat diet recommendable?.” European journal of nutrition vol 57, no.4, 2018, pp. 1301-1312.
Busili, Amani, and Eman Alhalal. “Diabetes-Related Nutrition Knowledge Among Nurses in Primary Health Care.” 2021, pp. 4.
Sami, Waqas, et al. “Effect of diet on type 2 diabetes mellitus: A review.” International journal of health sciences vol 11, no. 2, 2017, pp. 65.