Abstract
Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is considered to be one of the most important publish health issues over the world. It was estimated in the year 2017 that more than 425 million individuals were affected, and reports suggested that this number will become 629 million individuals by the year 2045. The most important risk factor for diabetes mellitus is unhealthy diet, with associated high mortality and morbidity in more than 185 countries around the world.
Aim of the work: we tried to understand the association of diet with type 2 diabetes mellitus and shed some light on the dietary management of this disease.
Methodology: we conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE from January 2001 to March 2017. The following search terms were used: diabetes mellitus type 2, management of diabetes mellitus, low carbohydrate diet, lifestyle modification for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Conclusion: Many factors regarding diet have been studied including the composition of diets and the quality of food in them. Low carbohydrate diets have shown to be associated with best outcomes regarding prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2. However, the role of these diets remains controversial especially on the long-term basis. Therefore, studies are still needed to establish more solid evidence that can be used to form guidelines