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In case of diabetes type 2, I have learned that it is recommended to find a low carb diet, possibly even low fat (to ease loss of weight) and to compensate instead with whole grain food, high amounts of proteins and fibers.

Particularly for the last 2 elements, I have found that there exist protein bars that are quite rich in both fibers and protein, while having minimal carbs/sugar. But these tend to be processed food and contain alternative sweeteners such as, isomalto-oligosaccharide, stevlol glycosides, sucralose, to name a few. One such protein bar, denoted to be purely vegan, has the following nutrition table:

enter image description here

From my understanding, this would not be a bad snack for someone with diabetes (high on fiber and low carb per bar < 5g), and it may actually also be quite filling (most of the calories stemming from the soy-protein ingredient).

  • But considering the point mentioned above about these bars, are they generally to be avoided for diabetics?

Please note, this table is merely an example, my main attempt with this question is to learn how to think about deciding adding such snacks to the diet in the case of diabetes type 2. Namely, is the low carb and high fiber aspects enough to assume them safe to consume, or are there more intricate complications to consider? I admit I have no medical background, I have simply been trying to learn about nutrition on my own.

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  • Firstly energy/calories for this bar are itself high as is case with many energy bars. Now with this small bar if we do get enough energy but does it fill the stomach and urge to eat, no. Now anything except for fibres that we consume in excess even proteins can be used in gluconeogenesis. Also fat is also present in such bars and I see that's saturated too, now here saturated fats actually may effect the esterification too. PUFA help in esterification. Although excess pufa too are not good a balance of pufa mufa is needed. So these things are complicated & multifactorial.Best is to consult dr Feb 14, 2019 at 17:33
  • @Physicsapproval Hi, many thanks for your comment, this is really the sort of reasoning I was looking for, in order to learn how to judge such cases, and yours has definitely been helpful. I had forgotten the consideration of gluconeogenesis, which indeed plays an important role ( i) is it also related to stress and excess cortisol for diabetics?). The part you said related to fats went beyond me very quickly, if I may ask, what is esterification/PUFA? Thanks again.
    – user929304
    Feb 15, 2019 at 8:32
  • I don't understand your comment here - related to stress and cortisol levels. Are referring to gluconeogenesis or cholesterol or to fat when talking about stress? Feb 15, 2019 at 11:26

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Firstly energy/calories for this bar are itself high as is case with many energy bars. Now with this small bar if we do get enough energy but does it fill the stomach and urge to eat, no. Now anything except for fibres that we consume in excess even proteins can be used in gluconeogenesis. Also fat is also present in such bars and I see that's saturated too, now here saturated fats actually may effect the esterification too. PUFA help in decreasing esterification of cholesterol. Although excess pufa too are not good a balance of pufa mufa is needed. So these things are complicated & multifactorial.Best is to consult doctor.

PUFA stands for polyunsaturated fatty acids. Like linolenic,linoleic, arachidonic acid. We refer them as $\omega$ fatty acids.

PUFA decrease cholesterol esterification esterification of cholesterol decrease in presence of pufaand that's why they are associated with antiatherogenic property.

Moreover PUFA also help in synthesis of anti-inflammatory mediators like PGI2. Even more PUFA come under essential fatty acids.

If you want to know more about cholesterol esterification click here.

Further the use of artificial sweeteners complicate the matter, their safety may not have been established

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  • Your quote confused me at first. I couldn't figure out who you were quoting until I noticed the comments on the question. I think your question would be clearer without marking the first paragraph as a quote.
    – Carey Gregory
    Feb 15, 2019 at 16:18
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    @Careygregory I think you are referring to my answer, good suggestion :) Feb 15, 2019 at 17:35

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