Effects of High-Fiber Diets on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in China

Abstract

Amid continued socioeconomic development and improvements in living conditions in China, the population affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus has steadily expanded, thereby imposing a substantial and growing burden on the public health system and the broader economy. At present, lifestyle-based adjunctive interventions for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have yielded encouraging results; among these, high-fiber dietary patterns—capable of markedly enhancing intestinal microbiota diversity and improving metabolic profiles—have attracted widespread attention. Drawing on a randomized controlled trial of a high-fiber dietary intervention in 43 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, together with corroborating observational data from large population cohorts, the literature outlines a coherent evidence chain indicating that high-fiber dietary interventions can effectively improve clinical metabolic outcomes in this patient population. This review synthesizes and evaluates the modulatory effects of highfiber diets on the gut microbiota and its metabolites among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and— based on identified mechanistic and observational evidence as well as their limitations—proposes practice-oriented design recommendations and priority areas for future comprehensive management.