Drug Topics - March 3, 2008 - (Page 4)

4 DRUG TOPICS MARCH 3, 2008 www.drugtopics.com Of Interest to Pharmacists ADA issues new diet options for diabetics Michael Dear, Pharm.D. he American Diabetes Association published its yearly update of its major position paper, “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.” The paper contains all of the association’s recommendations in a range of topics, including diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, diabetes care, and nutrition. The biggest bit of news comes from the Medical Nutrition Therapy section. This year the ADA recommended either low-carbohydrate or low-fat calorie-restricted diets to achieve weight loss in diabetic patients. This is a stunning reversal from last year’s standards that stated low-carbohydrate diets were not recommended because “the long-term effects of these diets are unknown.” “There is a lot of hype surrounding these recommendations since, until now, the ADA and other medical as- T sociations frowned upon low-carbohydrate diets due to the lack of long-term studies regarding their safety and efficacy,” said Fraidy N. Maltz, B.S., Pharm.D., CDM, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, at Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “The ADA is not promoting one diet over another, but they are the first highly regarded medical group to recognize the benefits of low-carbohydrate diets.” Maltz remarked that she has seen in her own practice that patients following a low-carbohydrate diet were able to not only lose weight but also attain better glycemic control. “I was not surprised by the new ADA clinical practice recommendations that offer low-carbohydrate diets as an alternative to low-fat diets for short-term, sustained, moderate weight loss. I think that the ADA recognizes that many patients are not successful on low-fat diets and http://www.drugtopics.com http://www.watson.com http://www.watson.com

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Drug Topics - March 3, 2008 Drug Errors: A Nonpunitive Approach ADA Issues New Diet Options for Diabetics Medco Using Clinical Pharmacists as Specialists in Direct Patient Care Latest News Roundup

Drug Topics - March 3, 2008

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