[Diet and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: historic and current perspectives]

A great majority of patients suffering non insulin dependent dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) can be efficiently controlled with diet, not requiring oral antidiabetic drugs or insulin. The main objective, given the tight relationship between obesity and this type of diabetes, is to decrease caloric intake as well as reducing the amount of saturated fats from the diet in an attempt to delay the onset of cardiovascular manifestations of the disease. Accumulated experience suggests that an increase in carbohydrate intake (60% of the diet) most of which should be food rich in fiber should be recommended given the proven efficacy in improving the control of in blood sugar and lipids. We advocate on the consumption of dry vegetables, and we think that this different attitude in their use is of major importance in NIDDM.