Konjac Glucomannan Attenuated Triglyceride Metabolism during Rice Gruel Tolerance Test.

In a recent study, we showed that konjac glucomannan (KGM) inhibits rice gruel-induced postprandial increases in plasma glucose and insulin levels. To extend this research, we investigated the effects of KGM addition to rice gruel on pre- and postprandial concentrations of circulating lipoprotein lipase (LPL), glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein-binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1), hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL), free fatty acids (FFA), and triglycerides (TG). A total of 13 Japanese men, without diabetes, dyslipidemia, or gastrointestinal diseases, interchangeably ingested rice gruel containing no KGM (0%G), rice gruel supplemented with 0.4% KGM (0.4%G), and rice gruel supplemented with 0.8% KGM (0.8%G), every Sunday for 3 weeks. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and at 30, 60, and 120 min after ingestion to measure the abovementioned lipid parameters. Lipid parameters showed small, but significant, changes. Significant reductions were found in circulating FFA levels among all participants. Circulating TG levels significantly declined at 30 min and then remained nearly constant in the 0.8%G group but exhibited no significant difference in the 0%G and 0.4%G groups. Although circulating levels of LPL and GPIHBP1 significantly decreased in the 0%G and 0.4%G groups, they increased at 120 min in the 0.8%G group. Participants in the 0%G and 0.4%G groups showed significant decreases in circulating HTGL levels, which was not observed in the 0.8%G group. Our results demonstrate the novel pleiotropic effects of KGM. Supplementation of rice gruel with KGM powder led to TG reduction accompanied by LPL and GPIHBP1 elevation and HTGL stabilization, thereby attenuating TG metabolism.

Glucomannan Inhibits Rice Gruel-Induced Increases in Plasma Glucose and Insulin Levels.

OBJECTIVE: Given the association between diabetes suppression and inhibition of diet-induced elevation in glucose and insulin, we investigated the effects of adding glucomannan to rice gruel on pre- and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. METHODS: A total of 25 Japanese subjects without a history of diabetes or gastrointestinal disease (all males; aged 37-60 years; body mass index 20.4-31.6) participated in this study. Subjects received a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (75gOGTT) and rice gruel containing 0, 0.4, or 0.8% of glucomannan. Blood samples were then obtained at preload and at 30, 60, and 120 min after receiving 75 g of glucose or rice gruel with or without glucomannan. RESULTS: After the 75gOGTT, 8 subjects had normal glucose tolerance (NGT), whereas 17 showed a borderline pattern. Moreover, our data showed that greater amounts of glucomannan promoted lesser 30-min postload plasma glucose and insulin levels, with differences being larger in the borderline group than in the NGT group. CONCLUSIONS: Glucomannan dose-dependently inhibited the rice gruel-induced increase in 30-min postprandial plasma glucose and insulin levels. Furthermore, greater inhibitory effects on glucose and insulin elevation were observed in the borderline group than in the NGT group.