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Association of adherence to a Mediterranean diet with glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in youth with type I diabetes
the SEARCH Nutrition Ancillary Study
Zhong, V. W., Lamichhane, A. P., Crandell, J. L., Couch, S. C., Liese, A. D., The, N. S., Tzeel, B. A., Dabelea, D., Lawrence, J. M., Marcovina, S. M., Kim, G., & Mayer-Davis, E. J. (2016). Association of adherence to a Mediterranean diet with glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in youth with type I diabetes: the SEARCH Nutrition Ancillary Study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(7), 802-807. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.8
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the association between a Mediterranean diet and glycemic control and other cardiovascular risk factors among youth with type I diabetes (TID).
SUBJECTS/METHODS: Incident TID cases aged <20 years at diagnosis between 2002 and 2005 were included. Participants were seen at baseline (N=793), 1-year (N=512) and 5-year follow-up visits (N=501). Mediterranean diet score was assessed using a modified KIDMED index (mKIDMED). Multivariate linear regression and longitudinal mixed model were applied to determine the association between mKIDMED score and log-HbA1c, lipids, blood pressure (BP) and obesity.
RESULTS: In cross-sectional analyses using baseline data, for individuals with the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 7.5%, a two-point higher mKIDMED score (1 s.d.) was associated with 0.15% lower HbA1c (P=0.02). A two-point higher mKIDMED score was associated with 4.0 mg/dl lower total cholesterol (TC) (P=0.006), 3.4 mg/dl lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P=0.004), 3.9 mg/dl lower non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) (P=0.004) and 0.07 lower LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (P=0.02). Using longitudinal data, a two-point increase in mKIDMED score was associated with 0.01% lower log-HbA1c (P=0.07), 1.8 mg/dl lower TC (P=0.05), 1.6 mg/dl lower LDL-C (P=0.03) and 1.8 mg/dl lower non-HDL-C (P=0.03) than would otherwise have been expected. HbA1c mediated ∼20% of the association for lipids in both cross-sectional and longitudinal models. An unexpected positive association between mKIDMED score and systolic BP was found among non-Hispanic white youth in cross-sectional analyses (P=0.009). Mediterranean diet was not associated with obesity.
CONCLUSIONS: Mediterranean diet may improve glycemic control and cardiovascular health in TID youth.