The high incidence of diabetes is mainly caused by changes in people's dietary structure, and one of the factors is insufficient dietary fiber intake.
China's dietary guidelines recommend that each person consume 25-35g of dietary fiber per day, from the survey, the actual intake of dietary fiber of Chinese residents is declining, and the average dietary fiber intake of Chinese residents in 2015-2017 is only 10.4 g/day, which is less than half of the recommended amount.
Inadequate dietary fiber intake may increase the incidence of diabetes by altering the gut microbiota. Several studies have shown that adequate intake of dietary fiber can reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance in diabetic patients.
What is Dietary Fiber?
To put it simply, it is a general term for a large group of carbohydrates that "cannot be digested and absorbed by the human body", including cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, β glucan, etc.
It can not only help maintain blood sugar stability, but also help smooth stools, increase satiety, lose weight, reduce the absorption of fat from food, and lower blood lipids.
Unstable glycemic control in diabetes?→ Increase dietary fiber
Low-carbohydrate meals with irregular poop movements?→ Increase dietary fiber
Low-calorie ways to lose weight are always underfed?→ Increase dietary fiber
Since it can't be digested and absorbed, what use can it be? In fact, many of the benefits of dietary fiber are derived from its characteristic of "not being digested and absorbed".
For example, it cannot be digested and absorbed by the body, but it can be used by the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine, which can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. The metabolism of beneficial bacteria can produce a variety of short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid, which helps to reduce the pH value of the large intestine, thereby inhibiting the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria, maintaining a good flora environment in the intestines, and maintaining intestinal health.
For another example, it cannot be absorbed, but it still has a certain amount of water absorption and swelling in the gastrointestinal tract, just like a sponge, which binds water around it, relieves constipation, increases satiety, delays sugar and fat absorption, regulates blood sugar and blood lipids, regulates weight, and prevents lipid metabolism disorders.
Of course, dietary fiber is not only good but not harmful, and if you consume too much, it may affect the absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, etc., and cause gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating. It may also cause a hypoglycemic reaction and may reduce the digestion and absorption of protein.
For diabetic patients, the gastrointestinal tract function is weak, gastric emptying is often delayed, and if a large amount of dietary fiber is eaten, the gastrointestinal tract may be "overwhelmed", and even different degrees of gastroparesis may occur. Therefore, when supplementing dietary fiber, it is necessary to take it in moderation.
Mechanism of the hypoglycemic effect of dietary fiber
A large number of studies have shown that the high incidence of diabetes is closely related to the low intake of dietary fiber, and a diet high in dietary fiber is very effective in controlling diabetes.
◎After dietary fiber enters the body, it absorbs water and swells to form a gel filtration system, which increases the viscosity of food, delays gastric emptying, shortens the running time of food in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby restricting the diffusion of nutrients to the surface of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, delaying or hindering the absorption of glucose in the intestine.
◎Dietary fiber can improve the insulin sensitivity of peripheral tissues and reduce the body's insulin requirements, thereby reducing blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
◎After absorbing water in the stomach and intestines, dietary fiber expands the stomach and intestines, produces a sense of satiety, and reduces the amount of food eaten, which is conducive to the control of diet of patients with diabetes and obesity and the treatment of patients with type II diabetes.
◎Dietary fiber can also regulate the body's metabolic activities by changing the activity of digestive enzymes in the intestine, and some studies have found that oat bran can regulate metabolism by reducing the activity of amylase, lipase and chymotrypsin in the human small intestine. In vitro experiments showed that dietary fiber inhibited the effect of α-amylase on starch and prolonged the enzymatic reaction, thereby slowing down the release of glucose.
Other benefits of dietary fiber for diabetics
◎ Protect your mouth
As the food eaten by modern people becomes more and more refined and soft, the activity of using oral muscles and teeth is correspondingly reduced. Increasing the fiber in the diet can increase the chance of using oral muscles and teeth to chew, remove dirt between the teeth, and exercise the gums.
◎ Promotes weight loss
Cellulose has a small specific gravity and large volume, filling the stomach cavity after eating, which takes a long time to digest, prolongs the time of gastric emptying, makes people easy to feel full, and reduces calorie intake; at the same time, dietary fiber reduces the calorie ratio in the ingested food; cellulose will attract fat in the intestine and then excrete it from the body, which helps to reduce fat accumulation, and the three can achieve the purpose of weight loss at the same time.
◎ Lowers blood lipids
Some components of dietary fiber, such as gum can bind to cholesterol, lignin can bind to bile acid, so that it can be excreted directly from the feces, thereby consuming cholesterol in the body to replenish the cholesterol consumed in bile, thereby reducing blood lipids. Dietary fiber absorbs water in the intestine and dilutes the intestinal contents, reduces the concentration of bile and cholesterol, and can promote the growth and reproduction of normal resident bacteria in the intestine, which can also convert cholesterol into fecal excretion during the reproduction process, which helps to reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease.
◎ Absorb toxins
In the process of digestion and decomposition of food, many toxins will be produced, which will stimulate the mucosal epithelium in the intestinal lumen and cause mucosal inflammation over time, and can increase the detoxification burden of the liver when absorbed into the blood. Cellulose forms a dense network in the gastrointestinal tract when exposed to water, adsorbs organic matter, inorganic matter and water, and plays an important role in maintaining the normal flora structure of the gastrointestinal tract.
◎Prevention and treatment of gallstones
The formation of gallstones is related to the high content of bile cholesterol, because dietary fiber can bind cholesterol and promote the secretion and circulation of bile, thus preventing the formation of gallstones. Experiments have shown that adding 20-30 grams of husk fiber to patients every day can detect the shrinkage of gallstones after one month, which is related to the smooth flow of bile.
If you feel that your diet is not healthy enough, or you do not supplement enough dietary fiber every day, then choosing [Bifudan Light Fiber Solid Drink] is not a safe way.
Imported round bud psyllium husk powder is used, which is rich in dietary fiber, enhances satiety, and can also help to discharge oil and excess body waste.
If you have high blood sugar, have a bad stomach or don't like to eat vegetables and fruits, brewing 1-2 sticks a day can accurately supplement dietary fiber.
Finally, I would like to tell you that developing healthy lifestyle habits and a reasonable diet are the key to preventing diabetes, which can not only effectively prevent the occurrence of diabetes, but also significantly reduce the risk of its complications.