Summary
THE purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of apple fibre on diabetic control and on plasma lipid levels in non insulin dependent maturity onset diabetes mellitus. Twelve patients (8 females and 4 males) ingested 15g of apple fibre per day over a period of 7 weeks. There was a significant improvement in diabetic control, as reflected by a fall in mean fasting plasma glucose (P<0.05) and in percentage glycosylated haemoglobin (p<0.005). There was a 5% decrease in plasma cholesterol and 4% increase in HDL-cholesterol with no change in plasma triglyceride. These results suggest that apple fibre may be a useful adjuvant in the management of non insulin dependent maturity onset diabetic patients.
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Based on P. D. Mayne’s Registrars Prize, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, 1979.
We thank Miss O’Shaughnessy, dietitian, Federated Dublin Voluntary Hospitals, Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann Teo. for freeze drying the apples and Ceimici Teo for the alcohol used in the preparation of the dietary fibre.
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Mayne, P.D., McGill, A.R., Gormley, T.R. et al. The effect of apple fibre on diabetic control and plasma lipids. Ir J Med Sci 151, 36–41 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940140
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940140