[Diet and diabetes mellitus]

Diet is the basic treatment of every diabetic patient. The first diabetic diet was described in detail by John Rollo in 1797. During the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century great changes as regards the composition of the diabetic diet occurred. The findings on the association of atherosclerosis and fat intake led to a reduction of fat in the diabetic diet. A great deal of research in the seventies and eighties of this century was devoted to exchange of foods in the diabetic diet with regard to the carbohydrate content or the rise of the blood sugar after their intake. The possibility to include sucrose and simple sugars in the diabetic diet was also repeatedly tested. Findings on the blood sugar level after ingestion of different meals, but also lipid levels and epidemiological results led to recommendations of scientific associations worldwide, incl. the Czech Diabetological Society.