ABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes is a very frequent pathology in our country. The objective of this study was to compare two diabetic populations recruited in the Monastir [M] and Sfax [S] areas. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of the diet on the evolution of the disease. The duration of diabetes was longer in the sample from Sfax and their levels for glycated haemoglobin and triglycerides were higher: 8.51 +/- 2.8 vs 10.2 +/- 3.6% [p=0.035] and 1.7 +/- 1.1 vs 2.6 +/- 1.3 mmol/l [p=0.006] respectively for group M and S. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and Apo AI levels were significantly higher in the M. group. Total homocysteine plasmatic levels were also significantly higher in the Monastir sample compared to the one from Sfax: respectively 23.3 +/- 15.4 vs 14.8 +/- 5.92 micro mol/l [p=0.002]. The protein food intake was positively correlated to the plasmatic homocysteine level only in the M. group [r= 0.439, p<0.001]. Olive oil consumption proved to be beneficial with a lowering of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the 2 groups [Monastir: r= -0.113, p<0.05 and Sfax: r= -0.403, p<0.001]. An appropriate and early management following the [Mediterranean diet] is called for in type 2 diabetes