Effect of Modified Diet on Lipid Profiles in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

This study compares the effects of modified diets containing legumes on fasting blood glucose and lipid profiles in patients with type II diabetes. In this randomized crossover trial, 24 subjects with type 2 diabetes, age range of 50 to 80 years, were selected and randomly assigned to two groups, one receiving diets of therapeutic lifestyle change (controls) or the other, with therapeutic lifestyle change with legumes (replacing meat with 2 servings of legumes in their therapeutic lifestyle change diet, three days a week). Period of each diet was 8 weeks with a 4 week wash out period. Fasting blood samples were taken to measure the fasting plasma glucose and blood lipid profiles (LDL-C, triglycerides, HDL-C, total cholesterol). Compared to the therapeutic lifestyle change diet, in the group with the therapeutic lifestyle change diet with legumes, diet were fasting insulin, total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased (P<0.05). After 8 weeks intervention fasting plasma glucose and LDL cholesterol in both diets significantly reduced compared with baseline values (P<0.05), while, no significant change was observed in HDL cholesterol. Replacement of 2 servings of legumes instead of meat 3 days a week in the TLC diet resulted in improved total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.