Background/aim: this editorial is aimed at providing a reference for the medical nutritional therapy (MNT) in patients with type 2 diabetes, as recommended by the new Italian guidelines for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its 2023-Update. Methods and results: the present paper revised the recently published Italian guidelines for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (outpatients) and its update, either in primary care or specialist referral. The guideline has been developed following the methods described in the Manual of the National Guideline System (http://www.snlg-iss.it) by a panel nominated by the Società Italiana di Diabetologia (SID) and Associazione Medici Diabetologi (AMD). Available literature on nutritional therapy showed a greater efficacy of: 1) MNT vs. unstructured nutritional advices, 2) Mediterranean diet vs. other dietary approaches, and the use of low- vs. high-glycemic index nutrients in reducing HbA1c and body weight.
Conclusions: the present paper illustrates the recommendations of the Italian guidelines (and its 2023-update) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes on medical nutritional therapy. In synthesis, the panel suggests a structured medical therapy, balanced diet (Mediterranean), and the use of low-, rather than high-glycemic index nutrients due to the improvement of glycemic control and body weight.