Abstract

Dietary starch and fiber: potential benefits to body weight and glucose metabolism

Author(s): Edward Chambers , Nicola Guess, Alexander Viardot & Gary Frost

Dietary starch and fiber, particularly the fermentable content, may be important for long-term weight loss and the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes. Resistant starch and most dietary fibers are fermented in the colon producing short chain fatty acids. Free fatty acid receptors 2 and 3 are two recently discovered receptors. The main ligands for these receptors are short chain fatty acids. These receptors are found on enteroendocrine L‑cells in the colon where they stimulate the release of anorectic hormones (glucagon-like peptide‑1 and peptide tyrosine tyrosine) and on adipocytes where they can exert improvements to insulin sensitivity. Recent studies have shown that supplementing the diet with fermentable fiber can have a positive effect on weight loss and insulin sensitivity. Further investigations with high-risk populations are warranted to determine if long-term dietary interventions with fermentable fibers can protect against or delay the progression of Type 2 diabetes.