May 26, 2015

expert reaction to study investigating dietary fibre and type 2 diabetes risk

An association between dietary fibre and reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes has previously been suggested, and this is the subject of a paper published in the journal Diabetologia. The authors report the results of a study in which increased total dietary fibre intake, especially cereal fibre, was associated with a lower risk of diabetes, and suggest that this might be mediated by a reduction in BMI.

Prof. Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine, University of Glasgow, said:

“This very large and powerful study provides yet more evidence for a potential link between higher fibre intake and lower risk of diabetes but it adds a twist to the evidence – namely, that higher fibre intake seemed to be associated with lower body mass. In other words, eating more fibre may help lower diabetes risk by helping individuals keep their weight in check. But is the evidence strong enough to inform public health? The nature of the evidence cannot prove a cause and effect link since many folk who eat more fibre may also have other health behaviours which favour lower risk and it is impossible to fully measure and thus correct for such behaviours – thus, what we need now are trials testing the effect of high fibre interventions on aspects of diabetes and obesity risk. Trials are the gold standard in evidence and these are hard to do in the nutrition field but we must do them. The nutrition field is full of associations but limited by high quality trials. It needs to up its game now – more nutritional researchers should be encouraged to conduct randomised trials especially where evidence suggesting a potentially favourable effect is so strong, as is now the case for fibre.”

‘Dietary fibre and incidence of type 2 diabetes in eight European countries: the EPIC-InterAct Study and a meta-analysis of prospective studies’ by The InterAct Consortium published in Diabetologia on Tuesday 26 May 2015. 

Declared interests

Prof. Naveed Sattar: “I am collaborating with UCL to try to fund pilot trials.  I was academic editor for this paper for the journal.”