Lee Swanson Research Update

Dietary Fiber Intake may Prevent Type II Diabetes

October 2004

fiber

"Increasing evidence suggests an important role of carbohydrate quality in the development of Type II diabetes," according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers added, "Our (study) objective was to prospectively examine the association between glycemic index, glycemic load and dietary fiber and the risk of Type II diabetes in a large cohort of young women."

In 1991, 91,249 women completed a semi quantitative food-frequency questionnaire that assessed dietary intake. The women were followed for eight years for the development of incident Type II diabetes. Dietary information was updated in 1995. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed the information garnered from the questionnaire and follow-up and discovered that intakes of high-glycemic foods were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing Type II diabetes. They also found that cereal fiber intake decreased the risk.

Following the study, researchers said that "a diet high in rapidly-absorbed carbohydrates and low in cereal fiber is associated with an increased risk of Type II diabetes."

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition80(2):348-356, 2004

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