Rocío Mateo: “The role of nutrition is key to the treatment of diabetes”

Rocío Mateo is from Aragon, a doctor in Medicine, a nutritionist and a long-term researcher. in the field of cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia (alteration of lipid and protein levels in the blood, especially cholesterol and triglycerides) and other diseases such as diabetes. She is coordinator of the Nutrition Degree at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Zaragoza, where she also works as a teacher. He is currently co-directing, together with Dr. Itziar Lamiquiz-Moneo (professor of Neuroanatomy at the same faculty), a research based on two high-protein and low-calorie diets for diabetics or prediabetics. which is developed within the framework of the Primary Dyslipidemia group at the Miguel Servet University Hospital, directed by Professor of Medicine Fernando Civeira.

“We have been analyzing the application of protein-rich diets for seven years,” explains Mateo; Initially we focused on its role with weight loss among the general population, in order to help resolve situations of overweight and obesity. This type of diet is beneficial for the goal of losing weight, because they maximize the loss of body fat and minimize the loss of muscle mass. Also We found that triglycerides and blood glucose decreased; That is why we thought it could be interesting to see its incidence in diabetic patients. We understood that the next step was the current approach: to see if all proteins have these same benefits or if there is one that has more.”

The concept of prediabetic needs clarification. “Speaking of type II diabetes, the most common, a previous phase is normally observed, which can even last years; The patient has high blood glucose levels, but has not yet developed the disease. It is a crucial period, because if the person makes a change in their self-care and habits, both eating and exercising, they may not develop the disease. On the other hand, if the clinical evolution does not change, the disease and all the complications that it entails develop, diet and lifestyle are key when it comes to combating many diseases, but in diabetes they are absolutely fundamental factors, both in prevention as well as subsequent treatment. Eyesight, kidney problems, cardiovascular problems, peripheral circulation... there are many complications of diabetes and sometimes it is difficult to transmit this to the patient, because they do not notice anything in the first years, but the problems end up arriving," explains Mateo.

Candidates are searched

The research conducted by Mateo and Lamiquiz requires volunteers with excess body weight and diabetes or prediabetes, who are not yet treated with insulin (metformin treatment is allowed) and who are aware that the assigned diet will not be of their choice. choice; You will receive one of the two proposals. “We look for people with a body mass index above 27,5. It started just before the 2020 confinement with a small group, but it was interrupted due to the social and health situation and given the multiple waves of covid, it has progressed very slowly, with very few people.”

Two types of diet

The research is based on two lines. “Both diets have a hyperprotein pattern; The difference is the origin, because in one of them the protein is animal type, and in the other, vegetable. The goal is to see if both diets work equally well or one is better. Specific markers are also analyzed, such as the action of intestinal hormones that determine satiety and appetite... Obviously, the satiating factor would help maintain willpower in the diet during those six months, and also maintain the acquired regulatory habits. For the study, patients should not take any type of medication; It is simply a matter of following the diet and, at the same time, maintaining previous living conditions as stable as possible.”

Mateo wants to reflect on the famous miracle diets. “Making a diet is always complicated, and involves taking many factors into account. I think that Many people continue trying to look for the miracle of a solution with little effort and obvious short-term benefits that last over time, and that is impossible; The ideal is a change in habits toward healthy, which has medium and long-term benefits. It is true that the population is increasingly aware of the relevance of food to health, and I believe that professionals must take advantage of this trend so that the message sinks in."

Source: Heraldo de Aragón