The Degree of Day‐to‐day Variation in Food Intake in Diabetic Patients

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Abstract
A prospective study of food intake using 7 day food diaries was undertaken in 92 diabetic men and women aged 17–81 years. The median individual day‐to‐day coefficients of variation for energy intake were: in insulin treated patients 12.0%, in non‐insulin treated patients 13.7%; for carbohydrate intake 14.5% and 13.8% and for fat 20.7% and 20.8%, respectively. The median individual differences between the minimum and maximum daily intake of energy in insulin treated patients was 787 kcal, in non‐insulin treated patients 649 kcal, for carbohydrate intake 89g and 77g and for fat 50g and 43g, respectively. Only 39% patients ate within 20% of their prescribed carbohydrate diet. In non‐insulin treated patients on prescribed calorie controlled diets, calorie consumption was on average 46% in excess of that prescribed. Although the variation in dietary intake in diabetic patients is large, it is smaller than that reported in non‐diabetic subjects in the UK. This variation is likely to make the manipulation of other antidiabetic therapy both difficult and somewhat arbitrary.

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