A study conducted by researchers at SUNY Upstate Medical University, suggests that low-income diabetic adults who have food insecurities due to the recent recession are at a greater risk to experience complications from their illness, compared to those who do not have these worries.

Nutrition plays a key role in a diabetics’ treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Adults who have food insecurities may have less access to sufficient foods that can help them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The researchers found that giving food-insecure diabetics an education in nutrition provided the subjects with useful information that they needed to control their health. This was even more important for those who were living on a fixed-income.

Daria Homenko, the study’s lead author, said that the findings show that “older patients with diabetes commonly do not directly indicate to their primary care provider that money, lack of nutrition knowledge, transportation, physical disability or other barriers are preventing them from complying with dietary recommendations.”

Aside from maintaining a healthy meal plan, the CDC suggests that diabetics could engage in exercise to their lower blood sugar levels.