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DALLAS, TEXAS. The American Diabetes Association recently revised
its dietary guidelines for patients with diabetes so as to include
20-35 grams per day of dietary fiber. It is estimated that the
current intake of dietary fiber in the United States averages only
about 16 grams per day. A team of American and German medical
researchers now report that even higher fiber intakes than those
recommended by the ADA can be highly beneficial for patients with
type 2 diabetes. Their study involved 13 patients who were
randomly assigned to follow one of two diets. Diet 1 provided
eight grams of soluble fiber and 16 grams of insoluble fiber per
day while diet 2 provided 25 grams of soluble and 25 grams of
insoluble fiber. Both diets provided 2308 kcal/day of which 15
per cent was protein, 55 per cent carbohydrates, 7 per cent
saturated fat, 17 per centcis-monounsaturated fat (olive
oil), and 6 per cent polyunsaturated fat. The study participants
received each diet for six weeks and then crossed over to the
other diet after a one-week washout period. At the end of the
experiment the researchers found that patients on the high fiber
diet had improved their glucose control as indicated by a 10 per
cent lower plasma glucose concentration and a 12 per cent lower
plasma insulin concentration (area under the curve for 24-hour
measurement). In addition, the patients on the high fiber diet
also lowered their total cholesterol level by 6.7 per cent, their
triglycerides by 10.2 per cent, and their LDL cholesterol
concentration by 6.3 per cent. The researchers conclude that
dietary guidelines for diabetics should emphasize an overall
increase in dietary fiber through the consumption of unfortified
foods rather than the use of fiber supplements. Dr. Marc Rendell,
MD of the Creighton Diabetes Center supports this conclusion in an
accompanying editorial and adds that combining a high-fiber diet
with the use of foods with a low glycemic index effectively lower
blood glucose concentrations synergistically.
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