Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. May 15, 2024; 15(5): 1001-1010
Published online May 15, 2024. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i5.1001
Increasing dietary fiber intake for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: A systematic review
Douglas Nitzke, Juliana Czermainski, Carolina Rosa, Chaline Coghetto, Sabrina Alves Fernandes, Randhall B Carteri
Douglas Nitzke, Carolina Rosa, Chaline Coghetto, Randhall B Carteri, Department of Nutrition, Centro Universitário CESUCA, Cachoeirinha 94935-630, Brazil
Juliana Czermainski, Department of Hepatology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90430-080, Brazil
Sabrina Alves Fernandes, Postgraduate Program in Hepatology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90050-170, Brazil
Randhall B Carteri, Postgraduate Program in Hepatology, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre 90050-170, Brazil
Author contributions: Nitzke D, Czermainski J, and Carteri RB were responsible for the conception and design, data collection, and manuscript writing; Rosa C, Coghetto C, and Fernandes SA were responsible for manuscript writing and critical revision.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Randhall B Carteri, PhD, Postdoc, Professor, Researcher, Department of Nutrition, Centro Universitário CESUCA, Silvério Manoel da Silva, 160 - Colinas, Cacho-eirinha 94935-630, Brazil. randhallcarteri@gmail.com
Received: December 22, 2023
Peer-review started: December 22, 2023
First decision: January 10, 2024
Revised: January 19, 2024
Accepted: March 20, 2024
Article in press: March 20, 2024
Published online: May 15, 2024
Processing time: 139 Days and 16 Hours
Abstract
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.

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Soluble fibers; Insoluble fibers; Probiotics; Blood glucose; Nutrition

Core Tip: Dietary fiber (DF) represents a valuable strategy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, improving health outcomes. Achieving a daily fiber intake of 35 g is feasible and holds substantial potential for reducing the risk of premature mortality by 10% to 48% in individuals with diabetes. 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. However, weight loss is more influenced by calorie restriction than by the amount of fiber in the diet. Hence, future clinical studies should further explore the combination of increased DF intake and calorie restriction, as this strategy presents the most valuable results in type 2 diabetes mellitus management.