DNA-Tailored Diet Could Help Manage Blood Sugar, Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Progression [Study]

For people with non-diabetic hyperglycemia, dietary interventions are usually advised to reduce progression of their disease to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In a recent study, a team of researchers determined the impact of nutrition intervention based on a DNA-tailored diet.

Managing Pre-Diabetes With Lifestyle Changes

In pathology, pre-diabetes is a term used to determine whether a person's blood sugar is consistently higher than usual, but not yet high enough to be categorized as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Compared to diabetes, "pre-diabetes" is reversible. If it is left unaddressed, however, up to 10% of people with pre-diabetes progress to T2D every year.

Diabetes is a major cause of kidney failure, stroke, sight loss, heart attacks, and lower limb amputation. In the UK alone, there are currently 4.9 million people living with diabetes, 90% of whom have type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The likelihood of progressing pre-diabetes into type 2 diabetes mellitus can be halved by lifestyle changes. In the UK, general practitioners, nurses, and other healthcare experts use interventions from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to help improve a person's diet and to increase their physical activity. However, these interventions can be expensive and labor intensive, requiring several appointments.

There are certain genetic traits which can predict a person's risk of developing diet-related chronic conditions. These underline the importance of dietary modifications, like changing fat, salt, and saturated fat to address cardiovascular risk. It also involves changing sugar and saturated fat intake to prevent risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

DNA-Based Diet Plans

Experts from Imperial College London and DnaNudge conducted a pilot study involving 148 participants with high blood levels and are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Led by Dr. Maria Karvela, the research team conducted the DNA-based personalized nutrition intervention for 26 weeks. The details of their research are discussed in the paper "Assessment of the impact of a personalised nutrition intervention in impaired glucose regulation over 26 weeks: a randomised controlled trial".

The study reveals that when combined with face-to-face dietary coaching from a healthcare professional, personalized dietary advice guided by genetic information was more effective at reducing blood glucose levels than standard dietary coaching. In the UK, the current standard of care is based on the guidelines from the NICE.

Genetic profiles of chronic health conditions, like obesity, blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension can inform experts about the type of foods that can be better or worse for an individual. They also enable them to specifically tailor advice around the patient's dietary intake of carbohydrates, fats, and other macronutrients.

Although the work is still at an early age, Karvela and her colleagues believe that it is a promising example of the vital role played by genetic data in preventing long-term conditions and in improving health. They also noted that larger trials are needed to verify their research findings and to ensure that the new approach is suitable for use in clinical practice and for different people and conditions.