Purpose of review: This review presents the current available evidence of the effects of several dietary patterns on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Recent findings: Evidence demonstrates improvements in cardiovascular risk factors with some dietary patterns in the general population. However, evidence is limited for glycemic control and cardiovascular benefit in patients with T2D for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and plant-based dietary patterns. Evidence suggests that carbohydrate-restricted dietary patterns improve glycemic control and decrease the use of anti-hyperglycemic medications. The Mediterranean dietary pattern has the most evidence for glycemic control and decreased ASCVD risk in patients with T2D. There is no evidence on ASCVD outcomes in patients with T2D for any other dietary pattern. The Mediterranean dietary pattern has the most evidence for cardiovascular benefit in patients with T2D. Future research should examine the effect of dietary patterns on ASCVD outcomes.
Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; DASH; Diabetes; Dietary pattern; Low-carbohydrate; Mediterranean; Plant-based.