Effects of a Bioavailable Arabinoxylan-enriched White Bread Flour on Postprandial Glucose Response in Normoglycemic Subjects

ABSTRACT

The beneficial effects of soluble fibers on carbohydrate metabolism are well documented. In this regard, we tested an arabinoxylan-enriched white bread flour, obtained by a patented process by which the bran extracted from the milling process is enzymatically hydrolyzed in order to separate the soluble fraction fiber from the insoluble fiber. We recruited 24 healthy normoglycemic volunteers [Age 34–61 ± 12.5 y; Body Mass Index (BMI) 22.1 ± 2.5 kg/m²; Waist circumference (WC) 84.43 ± 8.0 cm; Fat Mass (FM) 22.7 ± 8.0%] attending the Dietetics Outpatient Clinic of the Internal Medicine Department at IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. Subjects acutely consumed arabinoxylan-enriched white bread (weight: 100 g) or isoenergetic control breads, in a double-blind crossover study design. Plasma glucose levels were measured just before bread administration and 30 minutes afterwards. The 30-minute peak postprandial glucose concentrations after arabinoxylan-enriched meals were significantly lower than after the control meal (107±4.6 mg/dL vs. 121 ± 5.2 mg/dL; p < 0.05). The here-reported results show how postprandial glucose responses were improved by ingestion of the arabinoxylan-enriched meal. Further studies are needed to clarify whether daily consumption of arabinoxylan-enriched bread will benefit patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

KEYWORDS:

• arabinoxylan
• bread flour
• glucose
• soluble fiber

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Farine Varvello & Co. S.r.l., Piazza Castello 2, 20121 Milan, Italy for the supply of wheat refined flour and integrated fiber bran Integralbianco® used for the production of bread.

Declaration of Interest: The study was conducted with the financial support of the Varvello Company. The authors assure that the methods, results, and data depicted in this paper truly reflect the procedures used and raw data collected during the studies. All authors are employed by Department of Internal Medicine, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Anna Giulia Falchi and Illaria Grecchi performed experiments and provided critical data, and provided patient samples and collected data. Chiara Muggia provided patient samples and collected data. Giuseppina Palladini conceived and designed experiments, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript. Stefano Perlini conceived and designed experiments, and supervised the research.