A Single Lesson on Dietary Education Improves Dietary Knowledge in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Real-Life Monocentric Italian Study

Background. It is unclear if dietary education may increase adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD). Study aim. We estimated the effect of dietary counseling on nutritional knowledge and adherence to MD in T2D adult patients. Methods. T2D patients who attended the Diabetology Center of the Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda were recruited (April to September 2019) and categorized into two groups: the intervention group (IG), receiving a 2.5-h education, and the control group (CG). The Moynihan questionnaire and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Assessment Questionnaire (MDAAQ) were administered to estimate the overall knowledge and adherence to MD at baseline (T0), 1 week (T1), and 1 month (T2) later. Results. Seventy-two individuals (69.5 ± 8.6 years old) were included in the IG, and 52 (67.7 ± 9.2 years old) were included in the CG. All patients had sufficient dietary knowledge and intermediate adherence to MD at baseline. Those assigned to the IG showed a significant reduction in the Moynihan score from T0 (24.9 ± 2.6) to T1 (20.3 ± 1.8; p < 0.001) and T2 (20.4 ± 2.2; p < 0.001). CG had the same Moynihan score as IG individuals at T0 (24.8 ± 1.8), but their dietary knowledge was unchanged at T1 and T2 (24.9 ± 1.8). MD adherence was similar at each time in the IG, with a MDAAQ score of 4.4 ± 1.7 (T0), 5.1 ± 1.7 (T1), and 5.3 ± 1.8 (T2), and in the CG (T0: 5.1 ± 1.7; T1: 5 ± 1.5; T2: 5.1 ± 1.5). Discussion and Conclusions. The 2.5-h dietary counseling session improves dietary knowledge, but it is not enough to improve adherence to MD.