Newly diagnosed diabetics who were overweight better managed their disease by eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fish, fruits and vegetables instead of one low in fat, an Italian study found. The proportion of those on the low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet who needed diabetes medicine after four years was 44 percent compared with 70 percent for the low-fat regimen, researchers said today in Annals of Internal Medicine. The Mediterranean diet also led to more weight loss and reduction in some risk factors for heart disease, the scientists said. Diabetics’ ranks worldwide are projected to grow to 380 million by 2025, from 246 million in 2007, according to the International Diabetes Federation, based in Brussels. Newly diagnosed patients are often treated with drugs and urged to make lifestyle changes such as exercising more or eating less fat. The diet study shows that what a person eats can alter the course of the disease, said Christine Laine, the editor of Annals of Internal Medicine. ‘You can delay the need for drugs by just making changes in lifestyle, said Laine, an internist, in an Aug. 21 telephone interview. ‘When people are willing to make changes in their diet, it might make […]