American Diabetes Association Issues New Guidelines The American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued new dietary guidelines for people with diabetes. Weight loss and physical activity are stressed in the new guidelines, and there is a new emphasis for diabetes control on the total amount of carbohydrates — not the source — that a person with diabetes consumes. With this shift in emphasis, the ADA says that people with diabetes can eat sweets occasionally, if their blood sugar levels are under control. Previously, diabetes specialists believed that carbohydrates from cakes, cookies, pasta and potatoes caused dangerous spikes in blood glucose (sugar) levels. The new guidelines disregard a food's glycemic index, pointing to studies that found no significant differences in blood sugar response to sugary or starchy foods, as long as the total amount of carbohydrates was similar. Under the new guidelines, all carbohydrates are treated alike, although consumption of fruits and vegetables is encouraged. "A lot of people have misconceptions about diabetes and dieting," Dr. Judith Fradkin, director of the diabetes division at the National Institutes of Health, said. "Some people think sugar is the absolute worst thing for diabetics, and that leads to a lot of problems, such as diets that are extremely high in fat or protein." Because of this, the guidelines do not support diets that focus on a food's potential to cause blood sugar to rise, as these diets have not been proven effective at controlling diabetes, and may be difficult to maintain over the long-term. The guidelines emphasize the importance of individualized dietary plans to accommodate the preferences, circumstances and medical factors of each person. With an estimated 16 million Americans with diabetes, which costs the U.S. 187,000 lives and more than $98 billion each year, the guidelines aim to improve treatment and prevention of diabetes, and to simplify the lives of those who have the disease.