Roles of Whole Grains-based Products in Maintaining Treatment Targets among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Whole grain-based products are an excellent source of fiber and antioxidant. This study was attempted to determine relationship intake of whole grain-based products in maintaining treatment target among type 2 diabetes (DM) patients. A cross-sectional study, involving type 2 DM patients (30-75 years old) who were attending follow-up in the Diabetic Clinic at Ipoh, Perak selected based on convenience sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires by face-to-face interview, anthropometric measurements and patient’s medical record. From that, 46 (41.8%) were male and 64 (51.8%) were female with mean age of 58.5 (SD = 9.5). Finding showed that three major sources of whole grain products were whole meal bread (21.1%), brown rice (8.9%) and oats (8.4%). This study significantly (p<0.05) indicated higher mean intake of oat (3.52±3.85 servings week-1), brown rice (4.57±4.95 servings week-1), vegetables (12.52±2.37 servings week-1) and fruits (10.13±3.05 servings week-1) were found among controlled FBG (<7 mmol L-1) subjects. High intake of brown rice (4.14±5.98 servings week-1) (p<0.05) also were found among LDL-C controlled subjects (<2.6 mmol L-1). Mean intakes of oats (3.21±3.77 servings week-1) and fruits (7.49±4.11 servings week-1) were significantly higher among Total Cholesterol (TC) controlled (<5.2 mmol L-1) subjects. Meanwhile intake of cornflakes significantly higher (1.01±2.25 servings week-1) (p<0.05) among normal BMI patients compared to overweight/obese (0.08±0.28 servings week-1). Additionally, total fruits and vegetables revealed medium relationship with FBG level (r = -0.415, n = 110, p = 0.000). In conclusion, intake of whole grain-based products showed best diet practices in maintaining FBG, LDL-C, TC level and BMI among type 2 DM patients. Thus, it is essential for diabetic patients to consume more whole grain products in daily meal intake.