A new study adds to the evidence that consuming dietary fibre may protect against type 2 diabetes, researchers report today.
Earlier findings on the link tend to be limited to the US, so a team from the Norwegian University of Science set out to gather further evidence.
PhD student Dagfinn Aune and colleagues used figures from a large European study covering eight countries. Information was gathered from 12,403 cases of type 2 diabetes, and 16,835 healthy individuals on intake of fibre from cereal, fruit, and vegetable sources, and new-onset type 2 diabetes. Participants were followed for about 11 years.
Findings are published in the journal Diabetologia. Participants in the top quarter for fibre intake (over 26g per day) appeared to have an 18% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those in the bottom quarter (lower than 19g per day).
However, this link disappeared when body mass index (BMI) was taken into account. The authors suggest: "dietary fibre may help people maintain a healthy weight, which in turn reduces the chances of developing type 2 diabetes", rather than fibre lowering the risk directly.
Cereal fibre appeared to have the strongest inverse link, but again, it disappeared once BMI was taken into account.
In the larger analysis, where information was pooled from 18 other studies, the risk of diabetes appeared to fall by 9% for each 10g per day increase in total fibre intake.
Mr Aune said: "Potential mechanisms behind the link could include feeling physically full for longer, prolonged release of hormonal signals, slowed down nutrient absorption, or altered fermentation in the large intestine. All these mechanisms could lead to a lower BMI and reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. "
The InterAct Consortium. Dietary fibre and incidence of type 2 diabetes in eight European countries: the EPIC-InterAct Study and a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Diabetologia 27 May 2015 doi: 10.1007/s00125-015-3585-9
Leave a Reply