A Single Lesson on Dietary Education Improves Dietary Knowledge in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Real-Life Monocentric Italian Study

<b>Background.</b> It is unclear if dietary education may increase adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD). <b>Study aim.</b> We estimated the effect of dietary counseling on nutritional knowledge and adherence to MD in T2D adult patients. <b>Methods.</b> T2D patients who attended the Diabetology Center of the Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda were recruited (April to September 2019) and categorized into two groups: the intervention group (IG), receiving a 2.5-h education, and the control group (CG). The Moynihan questionnaire and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Assessment Questionnaire (MDAAQ) were administered to estimate the overall knowledge and adherence to MD at baseline (T0), 1 week (T1), and 1 month (T2) later. <b>Results.</b> Seventy-two individuals (69.5 ± 8.6 years old) were included in the IG, and 52 (67.7 ± 9.2 years old) were included in the CG. All patients had sufficient dietary knowledge and intermediate adherence to MD at baseline. Those assigned to the IG showed a significant reduction in the Moynihan score from T0 (24.9 ± 2.6) to T1 (20.3 ± 1.8; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and T2 (20.4 ± 2.2; <i>p</i> < 0.001). CG had the same Moynihan score as IG individuals at T0 (24.8 ± 1.8), but their dietary knowledge was unchanged at T1 and T2 (24.9 ± 1.8). MD adherence was similar at each time in the IG, with a MDAAQ score of 4.4 ± 1.7 (T0), 5.1 ± 1.7 (T1), and 5.3 ± 1.8 (T2), and in the CG (T0: 5.1 ± 1.7; T1: 5 ± 1.5; T2: 5.1 ± 1.5). <b>Discussion and Conclusions.</b> The 2.5-h dietary counseling session improves dietary knowledge, but it is not enough to improve adherence to MD.