Key Points
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT), i.e., a goal-oriented approach in developing and in implementing a nutritional plan for the treatment of individuals with diabetes plays a central role in the care of their patients.
More specifically, a well-designed nutritional plan is an essential component of the therapeutic regimen for all diabetics and should be designed in such a way that it should achieve the best long-term control of diabetes and its complications.
There is growing evidence that MNT benefits patients with all forms of diabetes and, according to many, it is the single most important intervention for the prevention and probably treatment for type 2 diabetics, making it an essential part of diabetes self-management education.
All members of the team involved in a diabetic patient’s care should be involved in setting nutrition-related goals, but it is highly recommended that a registered dietitian who is trained in MNT for diabetics assumes the coordinating role in MNT education and management (1).
Achieving nutrition-related goals requires the efforts of a multidisciplinary team. Ultimately, the most important member of that team is the patient as she/he should be the primary decision maker during the process of implementing a lifestyle change.
MNT plays an important role in three major areas of diabetes prevention and treatment: primary prevention, i.e., intervention(s) to prevent obesity and ensuing diabetes; secondary prevention, after diagnosis, to improve glycemic control and prevent diabetes related complications; and tertiary prevention to help prevent morbidity and mortality related to managing the complications of diabetes.