Study of the Relationship between Dietary Pattern with Glycemic Control Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Damascus Hospital and Specialist Polyclinic Services in Syria

Abstract

Background Dietary habits have an integral role in glycemic control. Where uncontrolled glucose levels can have an impact on almost every organ in the patients’ bodies. In this study, the target fasting blood glucose is set to be 70–180 mg/dl in accordance with the American Diabetes Association which recommends keeping this value to more than 16 hours and 48 minutes a day. Objective Intending to explore the food frequency consumption and its association with poor glycemic control among type 2 diabetic patients in Syria. Methods In this cross-sectional study, data on the dietary pattern of 104 patients with type two diabetes were collected by trained interviewers in two diabetic clinics in Damascus, Syria. Dietary information was obtained by a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Overall diet quality was evaluated. Glycemic control was assessed by fasting plasma glucose. Results the general dietary habits demonstrate that 55.8% of the patients recorded fasting Blood Glucose of 70–180 mg/dl, 21.1% recorded 181–250 mg/dl, and 23.1% recorded above 250 mg/dl. None of the food items studied in this research recorded a statistical significance excepts for excess amounts of white sugar, and consuming fast food weekly which were associated with poor glycemic control. Conclusion Consuming fast food weekly, and using 6–7 tablespoons or more of sugar a day could possibly serve as an independent predictor of poor glycemic control. Furthermore, distributing the total food intake in a day into multiple meals and eating less amounts of rice and creamed cheese were recognized to record better glycemic values, however, these results were not statistically significant.