Discussion

Abstract

To eight individuals, we’ve fed 70% carbohydrate diets which were identical except that the fiber content was approximately 20 grams per day, a low fiber diet — almost as low as what the average American eats. With these low fiber diets, we saw a similar reduction in insulin dose. These eight individuals were matched, and we saw that the reduction in insulin dose was very similar in those patients fed low fiber diets as in those fed high fiber diets. In this type of examination, we cannot exclude an important effect of fiber, but it suggests that the major effect is related to the high carbohydrate and low fat content of our diet. We think that fiber plays the major role in preventing hypertriglyceridemia and perhaps in lowering the cholesterol. But, I think, with the type of fiber we use, its impact on glucose metabolism is less important than that of the nutrients.