Abstract:

Introduction: Adequate glycemic control is the main goal in the treatment of diabetes mellitus to prevent clinical complications. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between glycemic control and fiber intake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) treated at an outpatient clinic at a university hospital. Materials and Methods: Cross-ectional study carried out with 43 adult diabetic patients. The variables analyzed were: dietary fiber intake, fasting blood glucose, insulinemia and glycated hemoglobin. Results: Most diabetics (86%) had blood glucose above defined limits as indicative of good glycemic control; more than half had glycated hemoglobin above the clinical target for adults; and 95.3% had a daily fiber intake below 25 g/day. There was a negative correlation between fiber intake, blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin. Conclusion: Adequate daily fiber intake was related to lower blood glucose and lower percentage of hemoglobin glycation, showing that higher fiber consumption is associated with better glycemic control.

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