Long-term effects of high dietary fiber intake on glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in GK rats: Comparison among barley, rice, and cornstarch

Whether the intake of high dietary fiber may improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes has been controversial. This study was conducted to observe the long-term effects of dietary fiber intake on glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in rats. Thirty male type 2 diabetic model GK rats were divided randomly into 3 groups. Each group was fed either a barley (high-dietary fiber) diet, rice (low-dietary fiber) diet, or cornstarch (very-low-dietary fiber) diet. The rats were pair-fed for 9 months. The intake of the barley diet significantly improved the area under the plasma glucose concentration time curves, lowered the fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and decreased plasma total cholesterol (T Chol), triglycerides (TG), and free fatty acid (FFA) levels. This study demonstrated that long-term intake of barley has beneficial effects on glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism and suggests the intake of unrefined cereal foods should increase as a diet therapy for type 2 diabetes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.