The effect of diet and sleep quality on hba1c values in individuals with type 1 diabetes

Individuals with type 1 diabetes constitute 5-10% of diabetes cases worldwide. In individuals with type 1 diabetes who are at risk for complications; the risk of complications can be reduced by factors such as regular diet, medication, exercise, and good sleep quality, etc. This study was conducted with a total of 144 type 1 diabetic individuals (109 female and 35 male) to determine the effect of diet and sleep quality on Hba1c values. A questionnaire form including questions about sociodemographic, anthropometric, nutritional habits and diabetes-related features, a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and 24-hour dietary recall was applied to the individuals by face-to-face interview technique. Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) is used to calculate the diet qualities of the individuals. In this study, 20.8% of individuals had an Hba1c value of ≤7%, and the remaining 79.2% had an Hba1c value of >7%. No statistically significant difference was found between HEI-2015 scores and Hba1c groups (p>0.05). However, a negative and statistically significant difference was found between HEI-2015 scores and BMI groups (p<0.05). While the rate of individuals with good sleep quality was 38.9%, the rate of individuals with poor sleep quality was 61.1%. No statistically significant difference was found between PSQI scores and Hba1c groups (p>0.05). As a result of this study, we conclude that diet quality affects BMI values in individuals with type 1 diabetes, however it should not be forgotten that there is a risk of weakening glycemic control with an increase in BMI. More studies are needed to investigate the factors that cause poor diet quality, sleep quality and glycemic control in individuals with type 1 diabetes.