Introduction. Diabetes is a serious disease which progression is strongly based on the dietary factor. Hence, a balanced diet with proper physical exercise and pharmacotherapy is known to be one of the best methods of treatment. High incidence of diabetes indicates the need for constant improvement of existing methods of prevention, more frequent examination of patients and research for new and effective ways of treatment. Because of specific lifestyle and diets, nowadays prevention of diabetes appears to be particularly difficult. Aim. The aim of the study was to examine the state of knowledge of people with diagnosed diabetes in the topic related to the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Material and methods. In order to asses patients’ knowledge concerning prevention and treatment in diabetes a survey was conducted among 107 subjects with diabetes. Results. The results indicate that patients do not have sufficient knowledge about the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Furthermore, the results of this study showed that considering the extended period of the disease, patients had greater difficulty in maintaining an adequate level of basic parameters measured during the disease process, i.e. BMI or glucose levels. The results also indicate that patients have not sufficient knowledge about nutrition in diabetes, and rarely use the dietary advice of professional offices. Conclusions. Increasing incidence of diabetes worldwide indicates a need to invest more resources in nutritional education for diabetics and concurrently to facilitate the access to professional dietary advice.

Key words: diabetes, BMI, blood glucose, complications of diabetes, diet.