(Eds: EMBARGOED until 1pm)

Wellington, July 1 NZPA - People suffering type 2 diabetes can significantly improve their condition by eating healthy food alongside their medication, a University of Otago study has found.

People who followed intensive dietary advice improved blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes patients even though they were on what was regarded as the best available medication, the study said.

The six-month study by the University's Edgar National Centre for Diabetes Research divided 87 high-risk diabetes patients into two groups.

Both received medical care, but patients in one of the groups also received regular one-on-one dietary advice from a dietitian.

Lead investigator Kirsten Coppell said that at the end of the study, measures of glycaemic control were found to have significantly improved in the group receiving the dietary advice.

The group also recorded an average weight loss of 2kg and a 3cm reduction in waistlines.

"Achieving good glycaemic control is a crucial goal in managing diabetes, as it can prevent long-term complications such as kidney failure, heart disease, amputations and blindness," Dr Coppell said.

"Before the widespread introduction of anti-diabetic drugs, the key focus in diabetes care was on diet and lifestyle.

"Our research indicates that while this earlier approach has tended to be forgotten in this modern age of a `pill for every ill', it still very much has its place in diabetes management."

The study involved elements such as encouraging smaller meals, reducing unhealthy components in their diets while eating more fruit and vegetables.

"The next step in the research will be to explore what barriers existed to patients adopting aspects of the dietary advice.

"Our ultimate aim is to develop a programme that could be put into place to improve the health of the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders with diabetes," Dr Coppell said.

NZPA WGT rq co kn