title: Nutritional habits of subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Mediterranean Basin: comparison with the non-diabetic population and the dietary recommendations. Multi-Centre Study of the Mediterranean Group for the Study of Diabetes (MGSD).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional habits of Type 2 diabetic patients among Mediterranean countries and also with those of their background population and with the nutritional recommendations of the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group.
  
  
  METHODS
  We did a cross-sectional study of 1833 non-diabetic subjects and 1895 patients with Type 2 diabetes, in nine centres in six Mediterranean countries. A dietary questionnaire validated against the 3-Day Diet Diary was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In diabetic patients the contribution of proteins, carbohydrates and fat to the energy intake varied greatly among centres, ranging from 17.6% to 21.0% for protein, from 37.7% to 53.0% for carbohydrates and from 27.2% to 40.8% for fat, following in every centre the trends of the non-diabetic population. Furthermore, diabetic patients compared to the corresponding background population had: (i). lower energy intake, (ii). lower carbohydrate and higher protein contribution to the energy intake, (iii). higher prevalence of obesity, ranging from 9 to 50%. The adherence to the nutritional recommendations for proteins, carbohydrate and fat was very low ranging from 1.4 to 23.6%, and still decreased when fibre was also considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In diabetic patients of the Mediterranean area: (i). dietary habits vary greatly among countries, according to the same trends of the background population; (ii). the prevalence of obesity is much lower than the 80% reported for patients with diabetes in Western countries; (iii). Carbohydrate intake is decreased with a complementary increase of protein and fat consumption, resulting to a poor compliance with the nutritional recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, 2nd Medical Department, Athens University Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Vas. Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thanopoulou
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, 2nd Medical Department, Athens University Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Vas. Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece. ippokratio@aias.gr.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karamanos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Therapy, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Angelico
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Assaad-Khalil
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Therapy, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbato
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Therapy, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Ben
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Institute for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Djordjevic
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Institute for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dimitrijevic-Sreckovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive, Occupational and Community Medicine. Section of Hygiene, University of Studies of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallotti
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, 1st Department of Medicine, Athens University School of Medicine, "Laiko" General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katsilambros
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, "NIMTS" Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Migdalis
authors.affiliation: Service of Internal Medicine "A", C.H.U., Oran, Algeria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mrabet
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre "St. Luca", Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petkova
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, 2nd Medical Department, Athens University Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Vas. Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roussi
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive, Occupational and Community Medicine. Section of Hygiene, University of Studies of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tenconi
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D003927:Diet, Diabetic; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values