High-Fiber diet may help gut bacteria fight type 2 diabetes, says study

Bern: Now the fight against type 2 diabetes may soon improve just by introducing high-fiber diet in our daily life.

As per a study led by a Rutgers University-New Brunswick professor, the promotion of a select group of gut bacteria by a diet high in diverse fibers could led to better blood glucose control, greater weight loss and better lipid levels in people with type 2 diabetes, reported Science Daily.

After a rigorous study of six years, it was found out at eating the right dietary fibers could rebalance the gut microbiota, or the ecosystem of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract that would eventually help digest food and are important for human health.

"Our study lays the foundation and opens the possibility that fibers targeting this group of gut bacteria could eventually become a major part of your diet and your treatment," said Liping Zhao, the study's lead author and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

Type 2 diabetes develops when pancreas makes little insulin or when the body doesn't use insulin well.

Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose to enter the cells, which provides energy.

Many bacteria break down carbohydrates, in the gut and produce short-chain fatty acid, which provides nourishment to the gut lining, reduce inflammation and help to control the appetite.

The shortage of short-chain fatty acids leads to the type 2 diabetes and other diseases.

As per several studies increase in dietary fiber intake could lessen type 2 diabetes. But as per Zhao, who works in New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health at Rutgers-New Brunswick, the effectiveness of the dietary fiber intake could vary due to the lack of understanding of the mechanisms.