Dietary fiber in the dietetic therapy of diabetes mellitus. Experimental data with purified glucomannans

Riv Eur Sci Med Farmacol. 1992 Nov-Dec;14(6):367-73. [Article in Italian]
Melga P, Giusto M, Ciuchi E, Giusti R, Prando R.
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio, Universita degli Studi di Genova.

In the last years the use of alimentary fibres in dietetic management of diabetic patients increased. The aim of this work was to evaluate, in type 2 diabetic subjects, the glycaemic and insulinemic increments after a standard breakfast with glucomannanos enriched biscuits and with common slices of toast containing the same amounts of carbohydrates and calories. The basal serum values of glucose and C-peptide were similar in the two days of the test. The mean increments of glucose and C-peptide were significantly higher (p < 0.001) after slices of toast than after glucomannanos enriched biscuits. In conclusion our results show a reduction in glycaemic increments after breakfast with glucomannanos-biscuits. The decreased insulin secretion and the reduction of insulin need can longer preserve the functional reserve of beta-cells.