Food and nutrient intake and health status of diabetics

Abstract

India is known as the capital of diabetes as the rate is increasing day by day. Particularly, type II diabetes is more common. As food and dietary pattern of an individual have an important role to play in the development, treatment or prevention of NIDDM, the present study was conducted with an objective to determine the health status and food and nutrient intake of diabetics.Thirty non-insulin dependent diabetic subjects (men and women) were selected randomly from Parbhani city of Maharashtra state. Information regarding their diabetic symptoms and complications, exercise pattern, family history of diabetes, awareness regarding diabetes mellitus, consumption of different food groups in a day etc. was collected. Food intake was assessed by conducting 24 hours dietary recall method and nutrient intake was calculated using Nutritive Value of Indian foods. It was observed that almost all selected diabetic subjects had family history of diabetes and various symptoms and complications of diabetes mellitus. It was also observed that more than 50 per cent of the selected diabetic subjects were performing some or other exercise daily, preferred exercise was walking and yoga. Most of them acquired the information about various aspects of diabetes mellitus from physician, television and newspaper. Results indicated that consumption of foods such as cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, milk and milk products were found to be more by men and consumption of roots and tubers and fruits were found to be more by women. It was also noticed that intake of fats and oils and sugar and jaggary by men and women were almost same. Intake of almost all nutrients was more by men than women except calcium. The results of nutrient adequacy showed that the adequacy of nutrients such as fat, calcium, thiamin, niacin and vitamin C was more than 100 per cent, while the lowest nutrient adequacy was recorded for the β-carotene followed by riboflavin and energy in both men and women. On the whole the diet of the selected diabetic subjects was found to be nutritionally imbalanced. Hence, a dietary modification along with changes in behaviour and lifestyle needs to be followed by diabetic subjects to overcome the problems of diabetes.