P06 THE EMPOWERMENT ON MEDITERRANEAN DIET AS A POSSIBLE TOOL TO TACKLE PREDIABETES ASSOCIATED TO OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY: A PILOT STUDY

The most important therapeutic strategy to prevent the progression from prediabetes (PD) to overt type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is lifestyle intervention focused on a healthy diet.However, there is no specific dietary pattern recommendation to prevent T2DM in both general and at risk population. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the short-term empowerment on Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence on metabolic and anthropometric parameters in PD overweight or obese subjects. Patients and Methods: Forty-two subjects with PD, aged 18–75 years, and BMI[25 kg/m2 that received dietary advice on MD by nutritionists during session groups every 2 weeks for 4 months. Data on energy caloric intake and macronutrient consumption were collected using a 7-days food diary record. The adherence to MD was investigated through the PREDIMED questionnaire. No advice were given regarding to caloric restriction and physical activity. At the baseline and at the end of the study each subject underwent anthropometric, metabolic, and nutritional assessment. Results: About 40.5% of subjects restored their normal glucose tolerance at the end of the study. Fasting plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C), BMI, waist circumference, visceral adiposity index, triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly decreased, while HDL-cholesterol significantly increased at the end of the study. The subjects significantly increased the adherence to MD as assessed by PREDIMED questionnaire at the follow up. A reduction of prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was also reported. Interestingly the PREDIMED score correlated with HbA1C values at the follow up, after adjusting for BMI and total caloric intake. Conclusion: The short-term empowerment on MD adherence improves anthropometric and metabolic parameters in PD overweight or obese subjects. This takes great importance given that diet must be the cornerstone of treatment of patients at high risk of developing T2DM.