Recent recommendations for the dietary management of diabetes mellitus state that diet needs to be individualized so that there is improved glucose and lipid control in the patient. In a majority of individuals with diabetes, this is best done with a diet that is low in fat and high in carbohydrate, particularly that of cereal origin. However, symptoms of hyper- and hypoglycemia must be averted. Most cereal products, however, tend to have a high glycemic index. Cereals such as Prowashonupana barley or fractions of oat bran are particularly high in the soluble fiber β-glucan, which when taken with a meal increases the viscosity of the meal bolus once it has reached the small intestine, where the absorption of nutrients occurs. This high viscosity delays absorption. A 50% reduction in glycemic peak can be achieved with a concentration of 10% β-glucan in a cereal food. A significant lowering of plasma LDL cholesterol concentrations can also be anticipated with the daily consumption of ≥3 g of (β-glucan. Diabetic individuals can benefit from diets that are high in (β-glucan, which, as a component of oats and barley, can be incorporated into breakfast cereals and other products.
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Review Article|
November 01 1997
The Role of Viscous Soluble Fiber in the Metabolic Control of Diabetes: A review with special emphasis on cereals rich in β-glucan Free
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Pierre Würsch, PHD;
Pierre Würsch, PHD
Nestle Research Centre
Lausanne, Switzerland
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F Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD
F Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD
Obesity Research Center and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, New York
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to EX. Pi-Sunyer, MD, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, 1111 Amsterdam Ave., Rm. 1020, New York, NY 10025. E-mail: [email protected]
Diabetes Care 1997;20(11):1774–1780
Article history
Received:
April 18 1997
Accepted:
July 21 1997
PubMed:
9353622
Citation
Pierre Würsch, F Xavier Pi-Sunyer; The Role of Viscous Soluble Fiber in the Metabolic Control of Diabetes: A review with special emphasis on cereals rich in β-glucan. Diabetes Care 1 November 1997; 20 (11): 1774–1780. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.20.11.1774
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