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SOLUBLE FIBER CONTROLS DIABETES
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that taking in extra soluble fiber helps to control diabetes. Now all diabetics should follow two dietary rules. First, they should restrict severely foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar: sugar-added foods such as soft drinks, pastries, cookies and so forth, all foods made from flour such as bakery products and pastas, and fruit juices. They should eat fruits and root vegetables such as potatoes only with meals, to slow the release of sugar from these foods without eliminating their valuable nutrients
The new information is that foods that are high in soluble fiber help to prevent sugar from rising too high after meals by keeping food in the stomach longer, so the sugar is absorbed slowly, and preventing free fatty acids and triglycerides from rising too high after meals. Free fatty acids bind to insulin receptors and prevent insulin from doing its job of driving sugar from the bloodstream into cells. So the second rule for diabetics is to eat a the foods that contain soluble fiber. Foods rich is soluble fiber include most whole grains, oat bran and oat meal; beans and other seeds; many fruits, including cantaloupe, grapefruit, orange, papaya and raisins; and vegetables such as lima beans, okra and sweet potatoes. See report #D222.
NEJM May 11, 2000
Checked 8/9/05