Evaluation of a structured treatment and teaching programme on non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

A structured treatment and teaching programme for non-insulin-treated non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes was evaluated prospectively in general practice. The four group sessions were mainly conducted by paramedical personnel. 65 patients from five general practices were assessed at the start of the programme and 50 (mean age 65 years, diabetes duration 7 years) completed the 1 year follow-up (intervention group). The control group consisted of 49 patients (mean age 63 years, diabetes duration 7 years) from three other general practices without the programme. In the intervention group the percentage of patients receiving sulfonylureas fell from 68% at the start of the study to 38% after 1 year (mean difference 30%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 16-44%); the mean weight loss was 2.7 kg (95% CI 1.6-3.8 kg), and non-fasting triglycerides were reduced by 0.77 mmol/1 (95% CI 0.35-1.19 mmol/l); and glycosylated haemoglobin remained unchanged (7.1% of total haemoglobin). In the control group none of these indices was changed during the study year, and 10% of patients started insulin treatment. The structured treatment and teaching programme improved the overall quality of patient care in elderly non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients treated by general practitioners.

Self-selected unrefined and refined carbohydrate diets do not affect metabolic control in pump-treated diabetic patients.

This study investigated whether unrefined or refined carbohydrate diets have any effect on metabolic control and on insulin requirement in near-normoglycaemic Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic out-patients on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy. Two females and 8 males (aged 27 +/- 9 years; diabetes duration 13 +/- 8 years; duration of insulin pump therapy 22 +/- 5 months; means +/- SD) participated in a randomised cross-over study with two 6-week periods on self-selected refined and unrefined carbohydrate diets respectively. As a result, energy intake differed between the experimental diets (2372 +/- 669 kcal/day on unrefined diet vs 2757 +/- 654 kcal/day on refined diet, p = 0.04), as did the fibre intake (18 +/- 5 g/day with the refined carbohydrate diet vs 35 +/- 13 g/day with the unrefined carbohydrate diet, p = 0.02). The composition of nutrients was approximately 40% carbohydrate, 45% fat, and 13% protein with both diets. Body weight, HbA1c, daily mean blood glucose (7.2 +/- 0.6 mmol/l) and serum lipids remained virtually unchanged during the entire study. Insulin requirement varied between 40.1 +/- 7.9 U/day with the unrefined carbohydrate diet, and 42.5 +/- 10.1 U/day with the refined carbohydrate diet (NS). Thus, neither the refined nor the unrefined carbohydrate diet affected insulin requirement and metabolic control in these near-normoglycaemic, normolipaemic, non-obese, insulin-pump-treated Type 1 diabetic patients.