After following a new menu plan developed by UAlberta researchers for people with diabetes, Roger Cowper significantly reduced his blood sugar levels.
The 69 year-old financial planner, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in early 2012, was of 15 people who followed the Smart Menu Plan for Albertans for three months. On average, participants reduced their blood sugar (or A1C hemoglobin) levels, a key health indicator among diabetics, by 1.4 per cent. A reduction of 0.5 per cent, if maintained, reduces the risk of developing secondary health complications. Participants also, on average, significantly increased their HDL levels ("good" cholesterol), slightly decreased their LDL levels ("bad" cholesterol), lost 2.6 kg and reduced their waist size by 2.8 cm.
Cowper's results were even more dramatic. His A1C hemoglobin levels were reduced from 7.4 to 6 per cent and he lost about 10kg.
"I felt much better," he said, adding that he also started walking five kilometres every day after he was diagnosed. "The menu plan had a good selection of things. It introduced me to the legume family and a few other things. I was surprised by the variety it had."
The results show the menu plan works just as well, if not better, than other similar research programs aimed at controlling blood sugar levels, because it obtained similar health benefits yet required less time and effort to follow, said Cathy Chan, who along with Rhonda Bell, led the team that developed the menu plan, which included several students in the Nutrition major.
She added that when the PANDA (Physical Activity and Nutrition for Diabetes in Alberta) research team developed the menu plan, the team was determined to make sure the diet was nutritionally sound, affordable, composed of foods that are easily available in local stores and met the recommendations of treatment for type 2 diabetes published by the Canadian Diabetes Association.
"When you're trying to affect a change in behaviour, and in eating habits in particular here, we thought those were crucial factors in making it as easy as possible for people to stick to our menu plan in the long term, and get the associated beneficial health effects, which is our ultimate goal," she said.
The Smart Menu Plan for Albertans book includes a four-week long menu plan, complete with recipes and grocery lists, in addition to carbohydrate counting information and general tips. Participants were given a copy of the book and met one-on-one with a nutritionist six times during the three-month study.
"The meetings were used to monitor progress and give participants a chance to ask any questions they might have," explained Chan. "For example, some people told us they didn't cook from scratch so they thought the recipes in the menu plan were useless for them. Well, that gave us a chance to explain to them how they could use the menu plan without cooking from scratch. It was just a question of making some adjustments but you can't do that if you don't know."
Cowper found the meetings very useful as they helped him stay on track. "It's one of those things that, because you're somewhat accountable to someone, you address any issues rather than just leave them. It made a difference."
The PANDA research team will be conducting a bigger study beginning later this month where 50 people with diabetes will be followed. The major difference is that meetings with nutrition experts will be done in groups of about 10 instead of one-on-one.
"If the Smart Menu Plan for Albertans is going to be put forth on a large scale for people with diabetes, we have to make sure we're able to deliver it just as effectively in groups as we did individually," explained Chan.
If you have type 2 diabetes and are interested in participating in the study, please contact