July 2008 - A study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that adherence to prescribed dietary recommendations is associated with better glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes.

"In recent years, diabetes management has been focused around new medications and technologies," said Lori Laffel, M.D., senior author of the paper, which is published in the July issue of Diabetes Care. "In this study, we were encouraged to identify the unique importance of diet on blood sugar control in children and teens with type 1 diabetes."

Introduced this decade, the long-acting insulin medications glargine and detemir have largely replaced the older intermediate-acting insulin NPH in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, a review of studies reveals that the newer drugs offer only a slight benefit over NPH in terms of blood glucose control.

The researchers did see a clear benefit of long-acting insulin in the risk for hypoglycemia - dangerously low blood glucose that can result from insulin injections - particularly at night.

The review comprised 23 studies of more than 6,500 people.