Objective The
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global restriction of public behavior due to lockdowns in various major cities. Lifestyle changes and reduced rates of outpatient lifestyle guidance/consulting may have had some impact on
glycemic control in patients with
type 2 diabetes. This study analyzed the impact of changes in the frequency of nutritional guidance/consulting (NGC) during the
COVID-19 pandemic on
outpatient care for
type 2 diabetes. Methods Among 785 patients, 67 who received regular NGC during the
COVID-19 pandemic were assigned to the continuation group (CG), 143 whose NGC was discontinued after the pandemic were assigned to the discontinuation group (DG), and 575 who did not receive regular NGC regardless of the
COVID-19 pandemic status were assigned to the irregular NGC group (
IGG). The three groups were followed up for two years. Analyses among the three categories were performed using the chi-square test or an analysis of covariance. Results The number of diabetes medications after the declaration of the
COVID-19 emergency did not markedly increase in the CG (2.0±1.4 to 2.1±1.5, p>0.05) but significantly increased from 2.2±1.4 to 2.6±1.4 in the DG (p<0.005) and from 2.2±1.4 to 2.4±1.4 in the
IGG (p<0.005). The increase in HbA1c adjusted for confounders was unchanged at 0.12±1.06% for the CG and -0.07±1.29% for the
IGG but was significantly increased at 0.19±1.49% for the DG (p<0.05). Conclusion In patients with
type 2 diabetes mellitus, regular nutritional guidance may be important for maintaining good
glycemic control, even during the
COVID-19 pandemic.