The onset and progression of long-term complications in diabetes mellitus appear to be related to the degree of hyperglycemia and the overall metabolic control. Therefore, an important goal in the therapy of subjects with diabetes is to avoid wide fluctuations in blood glucose concentrations and increases in lipid levels. The first therapeutic maneuver to achieve glycemic control is to establish a correct diet containing complex carbohydrates and an adequate amount of dietary fibers. Dietary fibers are capable of reducing the intestinal uptake of carbohydrates. An additional strategy to reduce the uptake of carbohydrates across the intestine has recently been proposed by Puls et al. This strategy involves the use of inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase, an intestinal enzyme that participates in the breakdown of polysaccharides into disaccharides and monosaccharides. The inhibition of alpha-glucosidase by these agents is competitive and reversible and results in delayed and reduced uptake of carbohydrates across the intestine. This effect attenuates the post-prandial hyperglycemia and subsequent insulin secretory response particularly in subjects with hyperinsulinemia. The compound acarbose is a member of first generation alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. The administration of high doses of acarbose can be associated with side effects such as flatulence, meteorism, abdominal pain, and diarrhea due to the fermentation of non-absorbed carbohydrates in the intestinal lumen. Usually, these effects subside following a few days of therapy and/or reduction of the initial dose. Acarbose has been effectively used to treat type 2 diabetic patients either as a first choice drug or in association with sulfonylurea agents and in type 1 diabetics in association with insulin therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)