High fibre diet can treat type 2 diabetes

Diabetics could soon be treated with personalised diets based on cereals and whole grains, say scientists.

Foods high in fibre boost gut bacteria that control blood sugar by breaking down carbohydrates.

It could lead to better therapies for type 2 diabetes which affects more than 3.5 million Britons bringing to an end their strict drugs regime.

It could also prevent the disease occurring. The number of diabetics is expected to rise to five million by 2025 because of the obesity crisis.

The study found dramatic improvements in those who followed the eating plan - in less than three months.

They also lost more weight and had healthier blood fat levels.

Lead author Professor Liping Zhao, a microbiologist at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, New Jersey, said: "Our study lays the foundation and opens the possibility that fibres targeting this group of gut bacteria could eventually become a major part of your diet and your treatment."

Devastating problems

Type 2 diabetes can lead to a range of devastating problems from heart attacks and strokes to kidney failure, blindness and losing a limb.

But evidence is growing that one of the most widespread and deadly medical conditions of the modern age, which is linked to lifestyle factors like obesity, can be combated through diet.

Last year a study showed losing weight by following an 800-calorie-a-day eating plan for eight to 12 weeks can send the disease into remission.

The more weight participants lost, the more likely patients were to see an end to the condition.