Integrated Food and Nutrition in the Management of Diabetes

The prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is now reaching epidemic proportions in the developing countries [ 1 ]. Indeed, India already has the highest number of diabetic and prediabetic patients in the world, reaching 62.4 million and 72.7 million, respectively [ 2 ]. A recent study from the Indian Council of Medical Research–INdia DIABetes (ICMR– INDIAB) showed that the weighted prevalence of diabetes (both known and newly diagnosed) in the urban population of Chandigarh (14.2 %) was the highest, followed by Tamil Nadu (13.7 %), Jharkhand (13.5 %), and Maharashtra (10.9 %). At every age interval, the prevalence of diabetes in urban areas was higher compared with rural areas [ 2 ]. This national estimate shows a trend of an increasing number of people with diabetes in India over the last decade [ 3 ]. The cause behind the huge epidemic is the alteration of dietary patterns with a rise in refi ned-grain consumption due to growing industrialization and the country’s economic conditions. A natural method of precaution that entails using functional foods present in foods may be one of the most benefi cial measures in combating the growing epidemic of diabetes.