Blood Glucose Response to Highly Viscous Polysaccharide Enriched Biscuits in Healthy and Diabetic Subjects
Condition: Type 2 Diabetes
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Our objective was to test whether the highly viscous polysaccharide incorporated into the
      biscuit formulation would reduce the postprandial blood glucose response equally in healthy
      subjects and individuals with type 2 diabetes.
    

Detailed description: 
      Despite significant achievements in treatment modalities and preventive measures, diabetes
      has been increasing exponentially. Reduction in both fasting and prolonged postprandial
      glycemia is of paramount importance in the disease prevention and the delay of diabetic
      complications. Blood glucose concentration can be reduced by dietary means, and may be
      influenced by factors such as type and amount of carbohydrate, nature of starch, quantity of
      protein and fat, dietary fiber content, method of food processing, particle size and food
      form. Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the blood glucose-raising ability of the available
      carbohydrate in foods. Although evidence is often insufficient and individual differences
      occur, prospective studies and clinical trials have shown that low-GI diets may reduce the
      risk of diabetes and improve glycemic control in diabetes.

      High postprandial plasma glucose level can increase severity of diabetes and foods which
      raise the blood glucose level least for a given carbohydrate content are most suitable for
      individuals with type 2 diabetes. Lower postprandial glycemia is also important for healthy
      subjects to prevent diabetes.

      High fiber diets have been recommended for the general population and for the nutritional
      management of patients with type 2 diabetes. Soluble dietary fiber retards digestion and
      absorption of the associated dietary carbohydrate, thus flattening the postprandial rise in
      plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. Some foods such as beta-glucan fiber containing
      oats and barley, and soluble fibers isolates such as pectin, guar, psyllium, or glucomannan
      have a high viscosity which gives them the greatest blood glucose lowering effect. Viscous
      fibers, as a result of their rheological properties, form gel with the food and human digesta
      and consequently reduce postprandial increases in plasma glucose concentrations in both
      normal and diabetic subjects in positive relation to their level of viscosity. Insoluble
      fibers such as cellulose and wheat bran have little effect.

      The highly viscous polysaccharide (HVP) added to the study biscuit formulation is a blend of
      highly viscous soluble fibers (polysaccharides) that act synergistically to develop a higher
      level of viscosity than any other known dietary fiber in nature. One of the main components
      of the HVP is glucomannan, a glucose-mannose polysaccharide obtained from grinding the tuber
      root of Amorphophallus Konjac C. Koch, a plant that has been used as food and remedy for
      thousands of years in the Far East. Highly refined glucomannan is 3 times more viscous than
      guar and approximately 7 times more viscous than psyllium. The viscosity of the HVP is
      amplified further with a viscosity 3-5 times higher than glucomannan alone used in
      formulation, that is considered to be the highest viscosity single dietary fiber. Previously
      we and others have shown that the higher viscosity in vitro directly corresponded to lower
      blood glucose.
    

Intervention name(s): Highly viscous polysaccharide enriched biscuits
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): 10 g of highly viscous polysaccharide
Other intervention name(s): HVP
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Prevention