Food label education does not reduce sodium intake in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A randomised controlled trial

Background Sodium intake is high in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The aim of this study was to investigate whether urinary sodium excretion can be reduced by educating people with T2DM to read food labels and choose low sodium products. Method In a 3 month randomised controlled trial, 78 men (n = 49) and women (n = 29) with T2DM were recruited from a Diabetes Centre at a University teaching hospital. The intervention group was educated in a single session to use the nutrition information panel on food labels to choose products which complied with the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) guideline of <120 mg sodium/100 g food. The control group continued on their usual diet. The primary outcome measure was 24 h urinary sodium excretion which was performed at baseline and 3 months. Data was analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance, independent samples t-test and Pearson’s correlations. Results At 3 months mean urinary sodium excretion was unchanged in the intervention (174 ± 13 mmol/24 h and 175 ± 13 mmol/24 h) and control group (167 ± 15 mmol/24 h and 161 ± 13 mmol/24 h), and there was no between group difference (p > 0.05). Conclusion Sodium excretion was not reduced following the label reading education provided to this group of people with T2DM.