Fibre-rich diet helps fight against diabetes risk

A new study has shown that teenagers that consume a diet rich in fibre are at a lower risk of developing risk factors for conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The research, which involved monitoring information on the diet of more than 2,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 in the United States, showed that those who had a diet containing a high amount of fibre, including from vegetables and whole grains, faced less risk of diabetes and heart disease.
The study, which investigated the relationship between nutrition and metabolic syndromen, also revealed no link between the risk factors, called metabolic syndromen, and the amount of saturated fat or cholesterol the teenagers consumed, although the report warned against this finding meaning teenagers should eat too much fatty foods.
Researcher Joe Carlso, from Michigan State University, commented “We know if you eat a lot of saturated fat, or trans fat, it tends to raise (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol.”
It was also examined if the teenagers had three or more conditions of metabolic syndromen, including high blood pressure, raised levels of sugar and fats in the blood, reduced levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and a large waistline.
It was shown that around six per cent of the teenagers had metabolic syndromen, with nine per cent of those that consumed the least fibre having the risk factors, as compared with just three per cent for those who ate the most.