Could Craving for Certain Kind of Foods be a Predictor of HbA1c Level in Diabetes Type 2 Patients?

Authors

  • Daniela Stege University of Oradea, Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, Str. Universitatii Nr 1, Oradea 410087, Romania
  • Paul Andrei Ţenţ University of Oradea, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Str. Piața 1 Decembrie nr. 10, Oradea 410073, Romania
  • Mihai Juncar University of Oradea, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Str. Piața 1 Decembrie nr. 10, Oradea 410073, Romania

Keywords:

diabetes mellitus; diabetes type 2, food cravings; glycated hemoglobin, HbA1c

Abstract

For diabetes mellitus type 2 patients and prediabetes patients healthy food choices is one of the most important factor to maintain recommended metabolic outcomes but this also requires strong willingness to change. As food cravings are common for the majority of healthy adults, rigid dietary control and the deprivation from some foods that are not allowed, can trigger the craving for some categories of foods in diabetic patients. In this study, diabetes type 2 patients and prediabetes patients were asked to share their current HbA1c levels and to self-report their daily experiences with food cravings. The aim of the study was to investigate if cravings for a certain kind of foods is strongly related to higher HbA1c levels in diabetic patients. Methods: Due to the pandemic situation, the study used online-based surveys on diabetes type 2 and prediabetes patients living in West Romania. The questionnaire was distributed through public social media groups with diabetic health condition specific. The collected data were analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics. Conclusion: The most selected categories of food cravings by all respondents were white bread and sweets. Although men and women tend to crave different kinds of foods, results does not differ significantly between the genders. Personal preferences and cultural determined eating habits seems to influence the food choices and the craving for a certain kind of food. The deprivation from white bread, a Romanian dietary staple showed an increase in cravings for the deprived food. Craving for pastries, alcohol and refined sugar sweets was associated with the highest HbA1c levels in the sample. The study results may help diabetic patients increase the awareness about their medical condition and improve self-management and self-care habits in order to obtain a better blood sugar monitoring and prevent diabetes associated complications.

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Published

2022-02-13

How to Cite

Stege , D. ., Paul Andrei Ţenţ, & Mihai Juncar. (2022). Could Craving for Certain Kind of Foods be a Predictor of HbA1c Level in Diabetes Type 2 Patients? . American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences, 85(1), 397–405. Retrieved from https://asrjetsjournal.org/index.php/American_Scientific_Journal/article/view/7473

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