Background and Aims: Prediabetes is considered a high-risk state of type 2 diabetes and a reversible condition with lifestyle changes. The Mediterranean diet is one of the recommended dietary patterns for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. This study aims to find association between the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and blood glucose level in prediabetes patients and healthy controls.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study 346 subjects were recruited between 2014 and 2019 at the Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. The degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet is measured by a 14-item Mediterranean diet adherence screener used in the PREDIMED trial. The blood glucose level is measured by fasting glucose (mg/dL) and glycated hemoglobin (%).

Results: The Mediterranean diet adherence score is significantly and inversely associated with both measures of blood glucose level. Adjusted data (95% confidence intervals) shows that each additional point in the Mediterranean diet adherence score decreases the risk of prediabetes with abnormal fasting glucose level by 60% and the risk of prediabetes with abnormal glycated hemoglobin by 22.4%.

Conclusions: The 14-item Mediterranean diet score is an effective indicator for prediabetes.

Disclosure

Y. Hou: None.

Funding

Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital; Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation (TCRD-TPE-109-RT-10)

© 2020 by the American Diabetes Association
2020
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