“Healthy food, nutrition education and care” underscored on World Diabetes Day

15 Nov 2021 --- “Access to Diabetes Care” is the theme for this year’s World Diabetes Day (WDD), which took place yesterday on November 14. Despite an estimated 537 million or one in ten adults currently living with diabetes, care for this condition is still not widely available on a global scale.

However, industry experts tell NutritionInsight how nutritional ingredients like sweeteners and probiotics may help reduce the impact of the disease.

According to the Diabetes Atlas, it is predicted that by 2030, the number of adults living with diabetes will rise to 643 million and 784 million by 2045.

“ISA is running a digital campaign to support WDD for another year and to share WDD 2021 campaign messages, which aim to ensure that everyone living with diabetes can access the care they need,” Caroline Hance, communications manager at ISA tells NutritionInsight.

Knowledge on suitable foods
The ISA digital campaign focuses on the nutrition aspect of diabetes care, she notes.

“The campaign aims to provide an overview of what healthy food includes for people with diabetes, as well as why it is key for them to have access to healthy food, nutrition education and care, which are fundamental components of diabetes care and prevention.”

Also emphasizing the role that diet plays in preventing diabetes is Anke Sentko, vice president, regulatory affairs and nutrition communication at Beneo. “The potential of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes increases with age, as the body’s ability to correct dietary mistakes decreases.”Food choices that deliver a lower glycemic profile are beneficial to diabetes patients as they support blood sugar management.

“The metabolic and physiological risk factors of contracting a NCD, or delaying its onset, are influenced by having high blood glucose and blood fat levels or raised blood pressure, being overweight or obese. However, the development of such diseases can be influenced by diet and lifestyle-related changes,” explains Sentko.

Diabetes care: Diet and sugar
Outlining the need for greater access to accurate information about food and diet, the ISA campaign further highlights the crucial role dietitians and nutritionists can play, Hance continues.

“The fundamental components of diabetes care include access to insulin, oral medicines, self-monitoring, education, psychological support, healthy food and a safe place to exercise.”

Access to healthy food, which this year’s ISA campaign is focusing on, includes daily intake of vegetables and fruit, whole grains in meals, preferring low-fat protein foods and healthy fats, as well as low-sugar foods and beverages, including those with low or no-calorie sweeteners, she notes.

“When used to replace sugar in foods and drinks, low or no-calorie sweeteners offer people with diabetes broader food choices by providing a sweet taste without affecting blood glucose control.”

Echoing the fact that low or no-calorie sweeteners can be beneficial for diabetes patients is Dr. Paul McArdle, a registered dietician and member of the British Soft Drinks Association’s (BDSA) Sweeteners and Sweetness Advisory Panel.Low or no-calorie sweeteners offer people with diabetes broader food choices by providing a sweet taste without affecting blood glucose control.

“Having diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2, does not have to mean a life void of sweetness in foods or drinks. Sweet tastes can give us a lot of pleasure, and there’s no reason people living with diabetes can’t enjoy this too, without impacting on blood glucose,” he affirms.

Low glycemic ingredients and diabetes
The goal for any food producer interested in promoting the long-term health of consumers should be the development of food choices that deliver a lower glycemic profile. “This is only possible by selecting the right ingredients,” explains Sentko.

“With a low or non-glycemic profile, ingredients such as isomaltulose, chicory root fiber (inulin, oligofructose) and isomalt can help in the creation of foods and beverages that support blood sugar management.”

The gut microbiota’s role in diabetes prevention
Winclove, a Netherlands-based probiotic company, highlights the potential of the gut microbiota in preventing blood sugar level spikes.

According to the company, evidence “supports the gut’s integral role in insulin resistance.”

Fecal microbiota transplantation from lean donors to human male recipients with metabolic syndrome was linked with significant improvement of insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism.

Therefore, Winclove states that targeted probiotic formulations – such as the company’s Ecologic Barriermay – be clinically relevant for optimizing metabolic health and influencing insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation associated with early- and late-stage low-grade metabolic disorders, specifically Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Solutions for diabetes symptoms
Industry players have been highlighting different solutions that can tackle diabetes. In this space, a study found that Mankai (a leafy aquatic green) consumption can lower the risk of developing diabetes.

A separate Finnish study found that whole grain foods could reduce Type 2 diabetes cases. Meanwhile, Nestlé Health Science developed a whey protein microgel that can help improve blood sugar control in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.

By Nicole Kerr