Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with complications, including chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dyslipidemia. This prospective study investigated the longitudinal relationship between changes in diet quality, assessed using the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), and alterations in kidney biomarkers and lipid profiles among patients with T2DM over 5 years. Materials and Methods: A cohort of 102 patients with T2DM participated. Diet quality was evaluated at baseline and after 5 years using a validated, 130-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Concurrently, fasting blood samples were collected to measure biomarkers: Fasting blood sugar (FBS), creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Regression models analyzed associations between changes in DQI-I scores and changes in these biomarkers. Results: DQI-I scores demonstrated a statistically significant increase over the 5-year period. However, these improvements in diet quality showed no significant association with favorable changes in kidney biomarkers (Cr, BUN, GFR) or lipid profiles (TG, LDL, HDL, cholesterol). The findings indicate that while dietary quality improved, this did not translate into significant effects on lipid metabolism or kidney function parameters. Conclusion: Despite observed improvements in overall diet quality, no significant improvements in lipid profiles or kidney biomarkers were detected. These results underscore the complexity of managing T2DM and its associated complications through dietary modification alone. Future research employing larger sample sizes and extended durations is warranted to elucidate further the long-term impact of dietary changes on renal function and lipid homeostasis in T2DM populations.
Asl et al. (Thu,) studied this question.