Perspective of Nutrition Therapy for Diabetes.

The type 2 diabetes (T2DM) pandemic in Asian countries has become an urgent problem to be solved for each country from a socioeconomic viewpoint, because the expense for management of diabetic complications is rapidly increasing. This is due to Westernization of lifestyle in Asian countries, which results in a greater prevalence of visceral obesity. Thus far, it is believed that impaired insulin secretion from pancreatic islets mainly contributes to the pathogenesis of T2DM in Asians. However, insulin resistance clearly underlies the prevalence of T2DM in Asian countries, as well as Western countries. Lifestyle intervention, including exercise and diet is an essential approach in care for patients with T2DM. In particular, nutrition therapy is a fundamental treatment that aims to correct overweight and improve insulin resistance. The principal requirement of nutrition therapy consists of energy restriction and a well-balanced intake of various nutrients. The lifestyle of people in Asian countries has dramatically changed in recent decades due to economic growth, which has made it difficult to provide guidelines for nutrition therapy. The uniform setting of nutrition goals is difficult to achieve because of diversity in eating patterns. This symposium aims to promote optimal nutrition therapy for T2DM through comparing the guidelines of different countries, including Korea, Japan, and the United States. Interactive talks among speakers are expected to yield a new perspective in nutrition therapy for the management of T2DM.