Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1400594

Precision Nutrition for Type 2 Diabetes in Benin: Leveraging Linear Goal Programming to Optimize Diets with Emphasis on Adequacy, Affordability, Accessibility, and Culture

Provisionally accepted
Halimatou Alaofe Halimatou Alaofe 1*Mahdi Mahdavimanshadi Mahdi Mahdavimanshadi 1Carmelle Mizehoun-Adissoda Carmelle Mizehoun-Adissoda 2Abidemi Okechukwu Abidemi Okechukwu 1Waliou Amoussa-Hounkpatin Waliou Amoussa-Hounkpatin 3Edward J. Bedrick Edward J. Bedrick 1Jules Gninkoun Jules Gninkoun 2Neng Fan Neng Fan 1John Ehiri John Ehiri 1
  • 1 University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
  • 2 Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, Cotonou, Benin
  • 3 Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background. Nutrition and diet are critical to managing Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Low-income households often face challenges maintaining a healthy and balanced diet due to food insecurity, availability, and cost. To address this issue, we used a linear goal programming (LGP) model to develop nutritionally adequate, affordable, accessible, and culturally acceptable diets for persons with T2D in Benin, a French-speaking sub-Saharan country. The goal was to help persons with T2D manage their condition more effectively.Methods. We compiled a robust list of local commonly consumed foods in Benin, and calculated their nutritional value using West African food composition tables and food costs per serving from a market survey. Using mathematical optimization techniques, we designed dietary plans that meet the daily nutrient intake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent chronic diseases in normal adults. While adhering to dietary constraints of T2D, we developed optimized diet plans with varying energy levels that meet all nutrient requirements while considering availability, acceptability, and budgetary constraints. Results. Fifty-two food items and recipes were evaluated to create six low-cost daily menus. Menu 1 was the most affordable at CFA 1,127 (USD 1.88), providing 1890 kcal of energy, while Menu 6 was the most expensive at CFA 1,227 (USD 2.05), providing 1749 kcal. All the menus met the daily WHO minimum requirements for carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol, and fiber content, while other nutrients such as protein, vitamin C, and iron reached the upper limits of the acceptable value range.Linear goal programming can be an effective tool in helping to obtain optimized adequate, accessible, and culturally acceptable diets at minimal cost by interpreting and translating dietary recommendations into a nutritional model, based on local market prices.

    Keywords: Adequate diet, Acceptable diet, Accessible diet, diet costs, Linear goal programming, type 2 diabetes, Africa

    Received: 13 Mar 2024; Accepted: 18 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alaofe, Mahdavimanshadi, Mizehoun-Adissoda, Okechukwu, Amoussa-Hounkpatin, Bedrick, Gninkoun, Fan and Ehiri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Halimatou Alaofe, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.