Effects of a gel forming dietary fiber, guar gum, on the absorption of glibenclamide and metabolic control and serum lipids in patients with non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes.

Nine patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) treated with glibenclamide (3.5 mg b.i.d.) participated in this randomized double-blind placebo controlled crossover study to evaluate the effects of granulated guar gum (5 g t.i.d. with meals) on the absorption of glibenclamide and metabolic control and serum lipids. Each treatment period lasted for 4 weeks, and there was a wash-out period of one week between the treatments. The fasting blood glucose (10.5 +/- 3.4 mmol/l on guar gum vs 11.3 +/- 3.7 mmol/l on placebo, p less than 0.05) and serum total cholesterol (5.9 +/- 1.4 mmol/l on guar gum vs 6.6 +/- 1.6 mmol/l on placebo; p less than 0.05) levels were lower after the treatment with guar gum than placebo. No significant differences were observed in serum triglycerides or HDL cholesterol between guar gum and placebo treatments. The administration of guar gum together with glibenclamide did not change significantly the maximum concentration (223 +/- 196 ng/ml on guar gum vs 184 +/- 138 ng/ml on placebo; n = 7, NS) or area under the curve (AUC0-6) [729 +/- 813 (ng/ml) X h on guar gum vs 560 +/- 513 (ng/ml) X h on placebo; NS] of glibenclamide. The fasting serum glibenclamide concentrations were similar at the end of the 4-week treatment period with guar gum and placebo. In conclusion, guar gum improved the metabolic control and decreased serum lipids of patients with NIDDM. In addition, guar gum ingested with glibenclamide did not interfere with the absorption of glibenclamide.