Mixed
Higher intake of total dietary fibre (specifically cereal and vegetable fibre) is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with a dose-response reduction of approximately 9% per 10 g/day increase.
To lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, increase your intake of total dietary fibre, with a specific focus on cereal and vegetable sources. Aim for an additional 10 grams of fibre per day, which is associated with a roughly 9% reduction in risk. Prioritize whole grains (like bread, pasta, and breakfast cereals) and vegetables over fruit for this specific benefit, as fruit fibre did not show the same protective association in this large-scale analysis. Note that much of this benefit appears to come from maintaining a healthy body weight.
In the meta-analysis (19 cohorts), the summary RRs per 10 g/day increase in intake were 0.91 (95% CI 0.87, 0.96) for total fibre... for cereal fibre... 0.75 (95% CI 0.65, 0.86)... for fruit fibre... 0.95 (95% CI 0.87, 1.03) for fruit fibre and 0.93 (95% CI 0.82, 1.05) for vegetable fibre.
Why this rating
Large-scale prospective cohort studies and meta-analysis (n=617,968) provide strong observational evidence, though residual confounding (BMI) remains.
Source
Dietary fibre and incidence of type 2 diabetes in eight European countries: the EPIC-InterAct Study and a meta-analysis of prospective studies
InterAct Consortium · Diabetologia · 2015
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