Additionally, foods rich in fiber, a non-digestible carbohydrate, may decrease hunger and food intake at the next meal. Europeans have lower rates of coronary heart disease than Americans. Cereal fiber has been shown to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride values because cholesterol and triglycerides bind to the fiber and pass through the body undigested. 13 Europeans have lower rates of diabetes than Americans. According to statistics, Europeans enjoy a 20 percent lower incidence rate of Type I, or insulin-dependent diabetes, than Americans.
Many people mistakenly believe that carbohydrates cause diabetes.
In part, this misunderstanding may result from the fact that food eaten is converted to a simple carbohydrate called glucose, a type of sugar which is the body's primary energy source. To move blood glucose or blood sugar from the blood stream to the cells requires the help of a hormone called insulin. They are unable to move sugar from their blood to the cells where it is needed for energy. Carbohydrate-rich diets also cut cancer risk. Dietary advice from the United States supports this conclusion.