Dietary fibre has long been established as a nutritionally important, health-promoting food ingredient. Modern dietary practices have seen a significant reduction in fibre consumption compared with ancestral habits. This is related to the emergence of low-fibre “Western diets” associated with industrialised nations, and is linked to an increased prevalence of gut diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, type II diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. The characteristic metabolic parameters of these individuals include insulin resistance, high fasting and postprandial glucose, as well as high plasma cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Gut microbial signatures are also altered significantly in these cohorts, suggesting a causative link between diet, microbes and disease. Dietary fibre consumption has been hypothesised to reverse these changes through microbial fermentation and the subsequent production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which improves glucose and lipid parameters in individuals who harbour diseases associated with dysfunctional metabolism. This review article examines how different types of dietary fibre can differentially alter glucose and lipid metabolism through changes in gut microbiota composition and function.

Introduction: Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has increased in prevalence globally over the last number of decades particularly in industrialised nations. This is primarily due to the Western diet, which is high in saturated fat and low in dietary fibre. Evidence has shown the gut microbiome to be altered in patients with T2DM when compared to healthy controls [1]. Given T2DM is

Population of worldwide is increasing. Specially based on European commission the population of adults older than 65 increased to 25.6 % of overall population in Ireland while this percentage was 13.6 % at 2018 which is a huge difference. Moreover, the physiological and socioeconomical changes associated with ageing can affect their food choices, food intake leading to less protein