Research Article
Gender Differences in Dietary Practices among People with Type 2 Diabetes. A Study from South India
Janakiraman UM, Kumpatla S and Viswanathan V*
Department of Diabetes Research Centre M.V. Hospital, West Madha Church Street, Royapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
*Corresponding author:Dr. Vijay Viswanathan, Department of Diabetes Research Centre M.V. Hospital, West Madha Church Street, Royapuram, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. E-mail Id: drvijay@mvdiabetes.com
Article Information:Submission: 05/01/2026; Accepted: 27/01/2026; Published: 30/01/2026
Copyright: © 2026 Janakiraman UM, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background:Evidence on food intake among people with diabetes in India is limited. Aim was to assess gender differences in the dietary practices, food frequency, calorie distribution and nutrient composition among people with type2 diabetes(T2DM).
Methods: A total of 454 participants were included and their sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical, 24hours dietary-recall were recorded. Food frequency of different food items and nutrient composition such as total calorie, Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat were calculated. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Indian population was used.
Results: The total calorie intake was higher in males (1410kcals) than females (1303kcals). Consumption of carbohydrate(gms) (M: F 220 vs 201) (P<0.001), Protein(gms) (M: F 49 vs 46) (p=0.006) was significantly higher in males than females. The fat consumption was similar in both genders. The percentage of carbohydrate intake was higher (M: F 63.7 vs 63.2%) and protein intake (M: F 13.9 vs 14%) was lesser in both genders as compared to RDA of Indian population. Green leafy vegetables and consumption of other vegetables was also lesser.
Conclusion:The level of protein, green leafy vegetables and other vegetables consumption was lesser than recommendations among people with T2DM. Intensive diet counselling should be focused on recommendation of protein rich foods to meet the requirements.
Methods: A total of 454 participants were included and their sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical, 24hours dietary-recall were recorded. Food frequency of different food items and nutrient composition such as total calorie, Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat were calculated. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Indian population was used.
Results: The total calorie intake was higher in males (1410kcals) than females (1303kcals). Consumption of carbohydrate(gms) (M: F 220 vs 201) (P<0.001), Protein(gms) (M: F 49 vs 46) (p=0.006) was significantly higher in males than females. The fat consumption was similar in both genders. The percentage of carbohydrate intake was higher (M: F 63.7 vs 63.2%) and protein intake (M: F 13.9 vs 14%) was lesser in both genders as compared to RDA of Indian population. Green leafy vegetables and consumption of other vegetables was also lesser.
Conclusion:The level of protein, green leafy vegetables and other vegetables consumption was lesser than recommendations among people with T2DM. Intensive diet counselling should be focused on recommendation of protein rich foods to meet the requirements.
Keywords:Food Frequency, 24hrs Dietary Recall, Calorie Distribution, Nutrient Composition