Effect of soluble-viscous dietary fibre on coronary heart disease risk score across 3 population health categories: data from randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials

Increasing dietary fiber intake for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, non-communicable disease with a substantial global impact, affecting a significant number of individuals. Its etiology is closely tied to imbalanced dietary practices and sedentary lifestyles. Conversely, increasing die-tary fiber (DF) intake has consistently demonstrated health benefits in numerous studies, including improvements in glycemic control and weight management.

AIM

To investigate the efficacy of DF interventions in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the association between DF intake and the management of T2DM. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 26 studies were included in this review.

RESULTS

The main strategies implied to increased DF intake were: High DF diet plus acarbose (2 studies); DF supplements (14 studies); and high DF diets (10 studies). Overall, most studies indicated that increased DF intake resulted in im-provements in glycemic control and weight management in T2DM patients.

CONCLUSION

DF represents a valuable strategy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, improving health outcomes. DF intake offers the potential to improve quality of life and reduce complications and mortality associated with diabetes. Likewise, through supplements or enriched foods, DF contributes significantly to the control of several markers such as HbA1c, blood glucose, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and body weight.

Effects of Dietary Fiber on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Intestinal Health in Different Pig Breeds

To explore the effect of dietary fiber on growth performance and intestinal health in different pig breeds, forty Taoyuan and Duroc pigs (pure breeds) of 60 days of age were randomly divided into a 2 (diet) × 2 (breed) factorial experiment (n = 10), and fed with a basal diet (BD) or high-fiber diet (HFD). The trial lasted for 28 d, and results showed that the Taoyuan pigs had a higher average daily feed intake (ADFI) than the Duroc pigs (p < 0.05). The average daily gain (ADG) and digestibilities of gross energy (GE) and crude protein (CP) were higher in Taoyuan pigs than in the Duroc pigs under HFD feeding (p < 0.05). The HFD increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in Taoyuan pigs (p < 0.05). Interestingly, Taoyuan pigs had a higher jejunal villus height and ratio of villus height to crypt depth (V/C) than the Duroc pigs. The HFD significantly improved the villus height and V/C ratio in duodenum and jejunum (p < 0.05). The HFD also increased the jejunal maltase and ileal sucrase activities in Duroc and Taoyuan pigs, respectively (p < 0.05). Taoyuan pigs had a higher expression level of duodenal fatty acid transport protein-1 (FATP-1) than the Duroc pigs (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the HFD acutely improved the expression levels of ileal SGLT-1 and GLUT-2, and the expression levels of jejunal occludin and claudin-1 in Taoyuan pigs (p < 0.05). Importantly, Taoyuan pigs had a higher colonic Bifidobacterium abundance than the Duroc pigs (p < 0.05). The HFD not only elevated the colonic Lactobacillus abundance and butyrate acid content in Taoyuan pigs, but also increased the acetic and propionic acid contents in both the pig breeds (p < 0.05). These results indicated a difference in dietary fiber (DF) utilization by the two pig breeds, and results may also suggest a beneficial character of DF in regulating intestinal health.

Inulin intake and the incidence of cardiometabolic diseases: a prospective cohort study

Inulin is a prebiotic and has beneficial effects on health, such as improving the immune function, lipid profile, and gut microbiota. Some previous studies have assessed the effects of inulin supplementation on cardiometabolic diseases, but the relationship between dietary inulin and these diseases has not been investigated yet. Thus, this survey was designed to assess the potential association between the dietary intake of inulin and the incidence of cardiometabolic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension (HTN), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) among adults. The present prospective cohort study was conducted on participants in the third wave of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (2006-2008) and was followed up until March 2018. The dietary intake of inulin was estimated using a special database that reports values of inulin and oligofructose in grams per 100 g of each food. Cox proportional hazards regression showed that higher consumption of inulin was associated with a lower risk of HTN (HR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.99) and T2D (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.00). We found no relationship between higher consumption of dietary inulin and the incidence of CKD and CVD in our population. According to our results, it seems inulin from foods had a preventive effect against HTN and T2D, which are major risk factors for cardiovascular and renal events. However, more investigations are warranted.