Efficacy of Diabetes-Specific Formulas as Meal Replacements in Diabetic Patients: An Overview

Diabetes-specific formulas have shown to be effective at improving glucose control with additional nutritional benefits. The aim of this review is to assess the current knowledge on the different types of DSF (Diabetes-Specific Formulas) and how they affect the weight, HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin), glucose, insulin and lipid profiles. Database research was made with diabetes and nutritional formulas as keywords. From over 60,000 titles retrieved from 2005 to 2020, only 34 were chosen based mainly on their methodology and results. Results show that for glycemia control, high fiber carbohydrates are more effective as well as high protein formulas. For HbA1c, oat seemed to be less effective than Meal Replacement (MR) and a protein-rich formula proved to be effective in the long-term. One of the most researched benefits in MR plans is weight loss, evidences show up to a 5-10% decrease in interventions with DSF formulas. Other advantages of this approach include greater glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and lower postprandial secretion, which consequently lead to a decrease in morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular causes. About lipid profile values; HDL, LDL and Total cholesterol, existing evidence differ from one another, so it is necessary to investigate further to reach a consensus.