HEALTH: (US) Young diabetics not meeting diet recommendations - article

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This item from IVU-Veg-News yesterday.

 

Best, Pat

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(US) Young diabetics not meeting diet

recommendations

 

FROM:

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews & storyID=2006-05-1\

0T170921Z_01_COL059799_RTRUKOC_0_US-YOUNG-DIABETICS.xml

 

" Young diabetics not meeting diet recommendations

 

Wed May 10, 2006 1:09pm ET165

 

By Amy Norton

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many adolescents and young

adults with

diabetes have diets that fall far short of what's

recommended to help

manage their disease, according to a new study.

 

While their eating habits reflect what's typical of

Americans in

general - high in saturated fats and low in fruits,

vegetables and

fiber -- these nutritional shortcomings are

particularly troubling in

young diabetics, researchers say.

 

Diabetics should eat plenty of fruits, vegetables,

whole grains and

low-fat dairy, and keep saturated fats below 10

percent of their daily

calories. The goal is to help control blood sugar

levels in the short

term so the risk of complications like heart disease

and stroke, which

is already higher in diabetics, is reduced in the long

term.

 

" It is extremely important that dietary habits in

youths with diabetes

promote long-term health, " Dr. Elizabeth J.

Mayer-Davis, the study's

lead author, told Reuters Health. Mayer-Davis, a

diabetes researcher

at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

 

Of the nearly 1,700 diabetics between 10 to 22 years

old in the study,

only 6.5 percent limited saturated fat to recommended

levels, while

less than 20 percent met recommendations for fruits

and vegetables.

Diets were also low in vitamin E and fiber, and none

of subjects ate

enough whole grains, according to the report,

published in the Journal

of the American Dietetic Association.

 

Most of the subjects had type 1 diabetes, caused by an

abnormal immune

system that attacks pancreatic cells, which produce

the

blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

 

Eleven percent had type 2 diabetes, which is related

to obesity. Yet

these kids often had poorer nutrition than their peers

with type 1

diabetes -- consuming less calcium, magnesium and

vitamin E, and twice

as much sugary soda.

 

Although the study did not look at the reasons for the

poor diets,

it's possible that families would benefit from

nutritional counseling,

Mayer-Davis said. She recommends parents help their

diabetic children

choose heart-healthy foods like fresh fruits and

vegetables,

fiber-rich whole grains and low-fat dairy foods.

 

SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association,

May 2006.