Food-Based Ingredients to Modulate Blood Glucose - Advances in Food and Nutrition Research - page 216

Adding 18, 23, or 28 g vinegar to white bread has shown an inverse dose-
dependent reduction in both glycemic and insulin response in healthy sub-
jects ( Ostman, Granfeldt, Persson, Bj ¨ rck, 2005 ) . However, there was no
significant effect on the GI calculated for the meals. This was in contrast
to the earlier result from the same research group where vinegar was used
in the form of a sauce with olive oil. In that study, there was a significant
reduction in GI and II that was attributed to different rates of gastric emp-
tying ( Liljeberg & Bj¨ rck, 1998 ).
Reducing the volume of bread was also reported to be an important
strategy to reduce the blood glucose response in humans. Burton and
Lightowler (2006) altered the proving method to reduce the volume of
the bread loaves tested in healthy subjects. The bread with the lowest vol-
ume had low GI (38), whereas the other three breads with higher loaf vol-
umes had higher GI values (72, 86, and 100). Other cereals related to wheat
such as spelt with high protein and fiber content than wheat has also been
used to investigate its influence on glycemic response. However, the glucose
AUC was similar to that of wheat bread in healthy subjects irrespective of
high oligofructose in the spelt bread ( Marques et al., 2007 ).
11. SUGARS AND SUGAR ALCOHOLS
Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar that can lower the postprandial
glycemic response compared to sucrose, glucose, or starch ( Bantle, Swanson,
Thomas, & Laine, 1992; Crapo, Kolterman, &Henry, 1986 ) . Although nat-
ural foods such as fruits and honey rich in fructose are recommended, high
intake of pure fructose may lead to adverse effects on lipid profile and leads to
complications such as nonalcoholic fatty liver and high cholesterol levels
( Swanson, Laine, Thomas, & Bantle, 1992 ) . The effect of honey may not
be just due to the fructose content. A study conducted by consuming
1 g/kg body wt. natural honey or simulated honey with identical sugar pro-
file showed that natural honey only reduced postprandial glycemic response
in healthy subjects. This attenuated glycemic response following honey con-
sumption may be due to the presence of various phytochemicals, ferment-
able carbohydrates, and hydrogen peroxide ( Ahmad et al., 2008 ). Sugar
alcohols constitute another group of ingredients that can modulate blood
glucose more than other conventional sugars such as fructose, sucrose, or
glucose ( Akgun & Ertel, 1980; Natah, Hussien, Tuominen, & Koivisto,
1997 ). However, they are reported to cause side effects such as diarrhea if
consumed in excess ( Payne, Craig, & Williams, 1997 ).