Dietary Fiber for the Diabetic

Abstract

Fiber, the touted prophylaxis for a host of disorders 1 — hemorrhoids, hiatus hernia, varicose veins, gallbladder disease, appendicitis, diverticulitis, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease—has had a rough time living up to the claims made in its behalf. Until recently only one claim—and this by no means a new one—has remained uncontested. Fiber is great for constipation. Recent studies suggest that fiber may also prove useful in controlling hyperglycemia. Douglass 2 noted a decrease in insulin requirements of two diabetic patients when they increased the amount of raw, unprocessed, fiber-rich foods in their diets. Jenkins et al 3 observed a drop in postprandial plasma glucose and insulin levels in eight insulin-independent and three insulin-dependent diabetic subjects after two fiber products, pectin and guar, had been added to the standardized meals. Kiehm et al 4 reported a lowering of fasting plasma glucose levels and a diminished need of sulfonylureas or