Low Fibre Intake And Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Research has found that low intake of fibre has been linked with higher rates of type 2 diabetes A Harvard study of healthcare professionals found that diets with a higher intake of cereal fibre was associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Whilst fibre intake is just one of many factors that has been linked with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the benefits of dietary fibre show it to be an important part of diet that can help to improve overall health in a multitude of ways.
Safety And Effectiveness Of Using Diabetes Supplements
Good supplements can help to promote healthy blood sugar levels, postprandial blood glucose, and HbA1c. They can also help to lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. They can even increase high-density lipoprotein levels, which is not an easy feat. Some dietary supplements can also help with insulin resistance.
The most commonly used medication for diabetes mellitus is metformin. Metformin is used in several diabetes mellitus types, including gestational diabetes. There are a couple of diabetes supplements that can interact with metformin. One of these is cinnamon bark.
Cinnamon increases the effects of metformin through added drug effects.
A fairly significant interaction is possible, so you will want to be sure your doctor closely monitors you if you are taking both metformin and cinnamon bark.
Keep an eye on your blood sugar levels since you are at increased risk of hypoglycemia while on both of these at once.
Chromium is a helpful supplement in diabetes treatment, but there is a risk of a minor interaction with metformin. This happens due to added drug effects, which lead to increased effects of metformin specifically.
Although there are some supplement-medication interactions to look out for, several supplements are safe to take with metformin .
Just be sure to check with your health care provider to see what is and is not safe for you to take.
Best Overall: Konsyl Daily Psyllium Fiber
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Suitable for diarrhea and constipation
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Proven to help lower LDL cholesterol
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Thickens quickly in liquid
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Of all the supplemental fiber types, we recommend Konsyl’s Daily Psyllium because psyllium holds the strongest evidence for digestive health benefits. Konsyl is a mostly soluble fiber that comes from the husks of Plantago ovata plant seeds. As it gels, it takes on a lot of moisture so it works to add soft bulk to your poop. Research supports psylliums significant benefits for treatment of functional constipation and its ability to alleviate diarrhea. As a bonus to helping with digestive conditions, psyllium can also improve blood sugar control and lower LDL cholesterol.
Although psyllium is sold in many supplements, we prefer Konsyls organic ground psyllium husk because it is free of added ingredients which can worsen symptoms, such as sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners. Konsyl is available in a powder and a convenient capsule form, though it may take a larger dose to equal one serving of powder. Psyllium gets gooey in cold liquids, so avoid letting it sit for long. Instead, you can add this flavorless product to a wide variety of recipes and prepared foods, such as smoothies and smoothie bowls, oatmeal, and baked goods.
Key fiber source: Psyllium Husk | Serving size: 1 -3 teaspoons | Amount of fiber per serving: 5 -15 g| Contains Additives: No
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How To Choose A Fiber Supplement
A wide variety of fiber supplements line store shelves, and they come in powders, chewables and capsules. The type of fiber used as the active ingredient varies, too. Some of the most common fiber supplements include psyllium, wheat dextrin, inulin and methylcellulose.
Of these, psyllium is a standout, with a few caveats. Also known as psyllium husk, psyllium comes from the husk of the Plantago ovata plant. Its the only fiber supplement shown to help lower cholesterol, control blood sugar levels, prevent constipation and diarrhea and promote satiety, according to a review published March 2015 in Nutrition Today. In a February 2019 clinical trial published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, researchers also found that psyllium helped participants lose weight.
Read more:Is Daily Use of Psyllium Husk as a Laxative Harmful?
Psyllium is sold under brand names such as Cilium, Alramucil, Genfiber, Maalox Daily Fiber Therapy and Hydrocil. Though its available via capsules and chewable wafers, Franziska Spritzler, RD, author of The Low-Carb Dietitians Guide to Health and Beauty, recommends the powdered form. Its easy to add to your food, she says, and can be mixed into things like yogurt or beverages. Experts recommend using psyllium only for about a week, because it can interact with medications and can even rarely block your intestines.
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Which Foods Are Fiber
- Raspberries as well as apples and pears with their skins on
LuAnn Berry, RD, a certified diabetes educator at Novo Nordisk, also recommended some fiber-friendly choices.
- If you like pasta, go for the whole-wheat version.
- If you like eating muffins for breakfast, choose a small, 2-ounce bran muffinif there’s only a big one, have half, and save the rest for the next day.
- If you’re having a salad, add 1/2 cup of beans.
- If you want a late-night snack, choose an apple or pear the size of a tennis ball, and leave the skin on. Or, have 3 cups of plain popcorn.
If you’re curious about comparing fiber content, the DGA gives grams of fiber for standard and smaller portions of a list of foods.
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What Types Of Fiber Are There
Even though soluble and insoluble fiber work differently for the body, they are both good for you. Soluble fiber dissolves easily in water and can lower cholesterol by carrying out excess cholesterol when the fiber is excreted from the body. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve easily in water and helps keep your digestive tract working well.
How Much Fiber Do You Need
In a 2,000 calorie diet for the average, active adult, the FDA recommends getting at least 25 grams of dietary fiber per day.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend the following
- Women under 50 25 grams of fiber/day
- Women over 50 21 grams of fiber/day
- Men under 50 38 grams of fiber/day
- Men over 50 30 grams of fiber/day
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What Foods Contain Fiber
There are two types of dietary fiber, and one can have more impact on your blood sugar than the other. Many foods contain both types of fiber, which is why you can never assume that the total grams of dietary fiber in food wont raise your blood sugar.
Soluble fiber: This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a thick gel-like substance in the stomach, explains the FDA. It is broken down by bacteria in the large intestine and provides some calories.
Insoluble fiber: This type of fiber does not dissolve in water. Instead, it passes through your digestive system and isnt broken down, which means it doesnt supply your body with additional calories.
- Whole-grain foods
There are no good or bad fibers. Both types of fiber are beneficial to your health and you should aim to eat a variety of high-fiber food. Just be aware that soluble fibers will impact your blood sugar.
Pop Some Fresh Popcorn
Dont reach for a bag of chips when you want a salty snack air-pop homemade popcorn instead. Skip the salt and butter . Instead, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle on some dried herbs, or add a dash of hot sauce. Three cups of air-popped popcorn contains about 2 g of fiber, the USDA reports. The same serving size also offers 160 calories and about 12 g carbohydrates. Popcorn is cholesterol free, and has almost no fat and very few calories. Its also a low-glycemic-index food, the USDA says, meaning that its slowly digested and has a gradual impact on blood sugar levels.
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Soluble Fiber May Improve Diabetes Control
4 Min Read
– People with diabetes who take soluble fiber supplements have slightly lower blood sugar than diabetics who dont add this type of fiber to their diets, a research review finds.
Researchers focused on supplements containing viscous fiber, a type of soluble fiber that forms a thick gel when mixed with water. Foods like legumes, asparagus, oats, and flax contain viscous fiber supplements with this type of fiber include guar gum, psyllium and pectin.
To examine the connection between viscous fiber supplements and blood sugar, researchers examined data from 28 clinical trials with a total of 1,394 participants with diabetes. People were randomly chosen to take viscous fiber supplements or to use other types of supplements without viscous fiber or no supplements at all.
Among the people taking viscous fiber supplements, half consumed doses above 13 grams daily, for periods ranging from three weeks to a year. Compared to participants who didnt take viscous fiber, those who did had better blood sugar control. They had lower levels of hemoglobin A1c, which reflects average blood sugar over about three months. They also had lower blood sugar levels on an empty stomach, known as fasting glucose levels.
In addition to HbA1c, other markers of diabetes including fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity were also improved.
SOURCE: bit.ly/2TenDoP Diabetes Care, online January 7, 2019.
How Psyllium Fiber Helps Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
According to the Cleveland Clinic, among supplements that have been studied for their ability to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, psylliumâs evidence was graded the highest. Research has shown that psyllium fiber can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels when looking at both fasting blood sugar levels and hemoglobin A1c â an indicator of average blood sugar over the previous 2-3 months.8
It helps control hunger.
Since consuming sugar or carbohydrate heavy foods is what makes our blood sugar levels rise, limiting sugar intake is one way of helping maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Psyllium fiber supplements like Metamucil can help you feel fuller longer by forming a gel in the digestive tract.* This mechanism can help curb hunger between meals, reducing your desire to eat.*
One study showed that taking 2 servings of Metamucil before breakfast and lunch for 3 consecutive days enhanced feelings of fullness and decreased feelings of hunger.9
It traps sugar in the digestive system.
Metamucil, through its gelling action, also helps slow sugar absorption from the digestive tract. Without a gel forming fiber, sugars are free to rapidly be absorbed into the bloodstream and raising blood sugar levels.10
How does psyllium work?
When psyllium mixes with water in the body, it forms a gel that is not digested, absorbed, or broken down.11
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Removes toxins while aiding colon function.
Made from nutritional herbs and intestinal microflora, this detoxifying fiber supplement is designed to provide highly effective and gentle intestinal support. In addition to targeted herbs, this supplement also includes a group of Ayurvedic herbal fruits that have been known to promote healthy digestion time and time again.
If your number one concern with a dietary supplement is quality, look no further. Known for their commitment to quality, Integrative Therapeutics has been trusted by medical practitioners and health care professionals for more than 30 years.
What Supplements Should You Consider If You Are Prediabetic
If you have prediabetes, you should consider the following dietary supplements: prebiotics, probiotics, potassium, vitamin D, zinc, betaine, magnesium, alpha-lipoic acid, and aloe vera.
These help by preventing the progression into diabetes and its complications, including cardiovascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, and involvement of the kidneys.
Research has shown that plant protein can help to improve insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, and reduce the secretion of certain unhealthy fatty acids.
Probiotics and prebiotics can help decrease risk factors of metabolic syndrome by modifying the intestinal microbiome.
They do this by reducing the absorption of certain nutrients and helping with the metabolic handling of nutrient-rich foods. This helps to reduce overall cardiometabolic risk. Red yeast rice is an alternative to a statin drug, which helps by managing cholesterol levels.
Berberine is a compound that helps by regulating blood sugar levels. Curcumin is a nutrient that helps by reducing inflammation.
A vitamin D supplement is useful as well since it helps to scavenge free radicals and fight against inflammation.
For more information on prediabetes, click here.
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Nutrition Education Lifestyle Remain Lynchpins In Diabetes Care
“Since all the trials lasted on average about only eight weeks, the amount of soluble fiber supplementation was not that high, on average 13 grams, and patients were still able to see a significant reduction in their HbA1c,” Dr. Hu said.
The findings from the Valnuk study are important, said Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, in reviewing the findings. “We are always trying to get consumers to eat more foods high in dietary fiber, yet we find that the usual intake is nearly always less than half of the amount recommended, so fiber supplements may be appropriate for those patients who do not or cannot consume adequate fiber.”
Since diet remains the first line of defense in managing T2D, the idea that soluble fibers may help glucose control is a good strategy to know about, Dr. Slavin said. She encourages people to eat more whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and fruits, to boost their fiber intake for all reasons,”but fiber supplements offer another alternative with sufficient research support as to their effectiveness.”
None of the doctors have any relevant financial disclosures.
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Garden of Life is committed to offering effective nutritional products that maximize health benefits while also preserving the integrity of the planet, by using sustainable whole food ingredients in their products, so you can feel good about supporting your health with help from a brand that cares about Mother Earth, too.
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From Blood Sugar Control To Weight Loss And More
Dr. Danielle Weiss is the founder of the Center for Hormonal Health and Well-Being, a personalized, proactive, patient-centered medical practice with a unique focus on integrative endocrinology. She enjoys giving lectures and writing articles for both the lay public and medical audiences.
Foods containing fiber can provide a range of health benefits that can help manage type 2 diabetes. This important nutrient, found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels and can help prevent possible complications from diabetes, such as heart disease.
The Fiber In Diet Food Products
There is an overwhelming number of highly processed health food products containing added fiber these days.
You might notice, for example, that your favorite protein bar has 12 grams of dietary fiber in the total carbohydrate count, which allows the manufacturer to market the bar as low-carb because the fiber grams can technically be subtracted from the total carbohydrate grams.
However, those 12 grams of added fiber are not the same as the natural fiber in whole food items. This means that some or even all of those fiber grams could impact your blood sugar depending on the source and whether or not its absorbed through the lining of your stomach during digestion.
Chicory root fiber, for example, is often added to low-carb food products to make the dietary fiber content appear high which makes the net carbohydrate content appear low.
When you dose your insulin based on those net carbohydrates, however, you may find your blood sugar spikes as if the carbohydrate content was higher, because some of that dietary fiber did, in fact, impact your blood sugar.
When eating these high-fiber products, take careful note of how they impact your blood sugar and how you accounted for the fiber content.
Its also important to note that many of those high-fiber products also contain sugar alcohols which are marketing as having no impact on your blood sugar, but many do still actually convert into glucose.
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Konsyl Daily Psyllium Fiber Can Improve Diarrhea Constipation And Health
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Consuming enough fiber is important for both digestive and overall health. While it’s best to consume fiber from food sources, realistically, it can be hard to eat the exact required doses of fiber day in and day out, so a daily supplement can be used to regulate symptoms, says Laura Frado, MS, MD.
A fiber supplement can help with diarrhea, constipation, or both, and fiber sources that function as both foods and supplements may also help prevent chronic diseases like type II diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. But not all fiber supplements are created equaland not everyone actually needs to take one. It’s essential to choose a fiber product that is both backed by clinical evidence and a good match for you. Not all fiber works for all symptoms, says Frado. Understanding the effects of different fiber types and dosages is key when considering supplements.