Effect of Oral Nutritional Supplements with Sucromalt and Isomaltulose versus Standard Formula on Glycaemic Index, Entero-Insular Axis Peptides and Subjective Appetite in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomised Cross-Over Study.

Oral diabetes-specific nutritional supplements (ONS-D) induce favourable postprandial responses in subjects with type 2 diabetes (DM2), but they have not been correlated yet with incretin release and subjective appetite (SA). This randomised, double-blind, cross-over study compared postprandial effects of ONS-D with isomaltulose and sucromalt versus standard formula (ET) on glycaemic index (GI), insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and SA in 16 individuals with DM2. After overnight fasting, subjects consumed a portion of supplements containing 25 g of carbohydrates or reference food. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 min; and SA sensations were assessed by a visual analogue scale on separate days. Glycaemic index values were low for ONS-D and intermediate for ET (p < 0.001). The insulin area under the curve (AUC0-180 min) (p < 0.02) and GIP AUC (p < 0.02) were lower after ONS-D and higher GLP-1 AUC when compared with ET (p < 0.05). Subjective appetite AUC was greater after ET than ONS-D (p < 0.05). Interactions between hormones, hunger, fullness and GI were found, but not within the ratings of SA; isomaltulose and sucromalt may have influenced these factors.

Noncaloric Sweeteners in Children: A Controversial Theme.

Noncaloric sweeteners (NCS) are food additives used to provide sweetness without adding calories. Their consumption has become more widespread around the world in all age groups, including children. The aim of this study is to show the state of the art about the intake of noncaloric sweeteners in children, as well as their benefits and consumption risk. Scientific searchers were used (PUBMED, Scopus, and Scielo) to analyze articles that included keywords (noncaloric sweeteners/saccharin/cyclamate/acesulfame potassium/aspartame/sucralose/stevia/children) in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Authors conclude that it is imperative that health professionals judiciously and individually evaluate the overall benefits and risks of NCS use in consumers before recommending their use. Different subgroups of the population incorporate products containing NCS in their diet with different objectives, which should be considered when recommending a diet plan for the consumer. In childhood, in earlier age groups, this type of additives should be used as a dietary alternative when other forms of prevention in obesity are not sufficient.

[Role of the stevia and L-carnitine of a nutritional supplement on glycemic impact in adults]. / Rol de la estevia y L-carnitina sobre el impacto glicémico de un suplemento nutricional en adultos.

Currently the food industry has generated interest in non-nutritive sweeteners, for example Stevia and in special components such as L-carnitine, used in formulations of nutritional supplements for glycemic control specific for diabetics. The present study evaluated the effect of stevia and L-carnitine on the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (CG) of a nutritional supplement in 19 healthy subjects (9 men and 10 women), who randomly completed 3 consumption tests, 1 for the supplement and 1 for each reference product: Glucose solution (SG) and white bread (PB), obtaining blood samples at the 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min times; for measurement of blood glucose, basal and postprandial insulin. The increase area under the glucose curve (IAUC) was lower for supplement 11,778.73 than for reference products (SG) 13,724.06; (PB) 13,153.56 α= p 0.005. IG = (62) and CG = (16) were intermediate and lower than white bread IG = (69) and CG = (18), with no difference in postprandial insulin. This demonstrates that this nutritional supplement formulated with stevia and L-carnitine is able to prolong the glycemic response without increasing the insulin requirements in healthy subjects. Specific studies are required in diabetics to validate whether the glycemic impact is lower than the standard product. The presence of other nutrients in the formula, influential in these indicators, does not allow to infer that the results are due only to the type of sweetener used and the L-carnitine.