Association between the number of glucose-lowering drugs in use, diet quality, and nutrient intake among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The use of several glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus is common, but their effects on dietary intake have been little explored.

Aim: Our study aimed to examine the association between the number of GLDs used by adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and their diet quality and nutrient intake.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a Brazilian national multicenter randomized clinical trial involving participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus aged >30 years. We collected sociodemographic, clinical, biochemical, and anthropometric information and food intake data (24-h dietary recall). Diet quality was assessed by the modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the association of dietary intake with the number of GLDs in use.

Results: Our analysis included data from a total of 363 participants, mean age of 60.8 ± 9.5 years, and mean glycated hemoglobin of 8.7 ± 1.5%. Of these, 28.1% were taking one GLD; 48.8% were taking two GLDs; and 23.1% were taking ≥3 GLDs. We found no difference in diet quality, but the intake of total polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids was different between the three groups (p ≤ 0.03). However, this association was no longer seen after adjusting for age, sex, duration of diabetes, prior diagnosis of dyslipidemia, physical activity and mean monthly family income.

Conclusions: We did not find an association between the number of GLDs in use and either diet quality or nutrient intake in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.