Research

Energy balance

Dietary fiber intake influences gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid generation, which decreases inflammation and supports gut barrier maintenance, thereby potentially lowering type 2 diabetes risk.

Eat a high-fiber diet rich in minimally processed plant foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This promotes gut bacterial diversity and produces beneficial fats (SCFAs) that reduce inflammation and support your gut barrier. Because your unique gut bacteria determine how you respond, start slowly if you are not used to high fiber.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Diet is a driver of the GM ecosystem, and microbially accessible carbohydrates promote GM diversity and SCFA generation, which decreases inflammation and supports the maintenance of the gut barrier (57).
Mariana X. Byndloss et al. · Diabetes Care · 2024

Why this rating

Supported by multiple observational and interventional studies, though individual responses vary.

Source

The Gut Microbiota and Diabetes: Research, Translation, and Clinical Applications—2023 <i>Diabetes</i>, <i>Diabetes Care</i>, and <i>Diabetologia</i> Expert Forum

Mariana X. Byndloss et al. · Diabetes Care · 2024

DOI 10.2337/dci24-0052

narrative_reviewCited 25×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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