A Key to Diabetes Management and Prevention

Source

Morris S, Wylie-Rosett J. Medical nutrition therapy: a key to diabetes management and prevention.

Clinical Diabetes [serial online]. 2010 Winter 2010;28(1):12-18. Available from: CINAHL Plus

with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 29, 2011.

Kern County ranks 57th out of the 58 counties in California for deaths due to Diabetes.  Our goal at TERRIO is to treat the entire individual and to this end we have 3 awesome Registered Dieticians on Staff to help.  Here is an abstract from a recent research article about the importance of Nutritional Therapy for those battling type 2 Diabetes. 

Because of the direct correlation between diet and diabetes management, medical nutrition

therapy (MNT) provided by a registered dietitian is a key complement to traditional medical interventions

in diabetes treatment. This article describes MNT, summarizes evidence for the effectiveness

of MNT in preventing and treating diabetes, and provides physicians with information about

how to refer patients for MNT.

The link between diabetes and diet has been well documented, as has the importance of diet in

conjunction with medical interventions for diabetes. Patients often look to their primary care physicians

for advice about general diabetes care, including diet, but survey studies have revealed

that doctors feel uncomfortable advising patients on the sensitive issues of weight loss and diet.1

Research is increasingly demonstrating that medical nutrition therapy (MNT), administered by a

registered dietitian (RD) or nutrition professional, is a key component of diabetes management

and a complement to treatment of diabetes by physicians.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2009 clinical practice recommendations state that “individuals

who have pre-diabetes or diabetes should receive individualized MNT as needed to

achieve treatment goals, preferably provided by a registered dietitian familiar with the components

of diabetes MNT.”2 Furthermore, the ADA's position statement titled “Nutrition Recommendations

and Interventions for Diabetes” emphasizes the importance of MNT in preventing diabetes,

managing existing diabetes, and preventing and slowing the onset of diabetes-related

complications.3 The integration of MNT into diabetes care has the potential to improve patients'

diabetes management and to lessen the burden on physicians to provide nutrition information.