Lente carbohydrate: a newer approach to the dietary management of diabetes.

The dietary fiber hypothesis has stimulated interest in the possibility that the glycemic response to carbohydrate foods may be reduced by modifying gastrointestinal events to produce sustained-release or "lente" carbohydrate. Associated with this interest, a new branch of pharmacology has been developed involving the use of purified fiber preparations and enzyme inhibitors. These measures, together with the selection of diets containing foods that naturally release their carbohydrate products of digestion slowly, may contribute a useful facet to diabetic management in the future.