Arabinoxylan consumption decreases postprandial serum glucose, serum insulin and plasma total ghrelin response in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance.

OBJECTIVE: Arabinoxylan (AX) consumption is associated with metabolic improvement during diabetes and with modulation of ghrelin, an orexigenic gut hormone. The effect of AX consumption on ghrelin secretion in disturbed metabolic states is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the postprandial responses to AX consumption of serum glucose, insulin and triglycerides and plasma total and acylated ghrelin in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). DESIGN: Randomized, single-blind, controlled, crossover intervention trial. SUBJECTS: Seven female and four male adults with IGT, aged 55.5 years, and body mass index (BMI) 30.1 kg/m(2). INTERVENTION: Subjects received either placebo or 15 g AX supplement for 6 weeks with a 6-week washout period in-between. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Postprandial responses of serum glucose, insulin and triglycerides, and plasma total and acylated ghrelin after a liquid meal challenge test (LMCT) measured at the beginning and at the end of the dietary intervention at -20, -5, 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210 and 240 min. RESULTS: After LMCT, AX consumption resulted in lower postprandial responses in serum glucose, insulin and triglycerides (P<0.05). Compared to placebo, total plasma ghrelin was also reduced by 42+/-8 pg/ml (P<0.001) after AX consumption with no difference in plasma acylated ghrelin. CONCLUSION: AX consumption improved postprandial metabolic responses after an LMCT in subjects with IGT and reduced total ghrelin response. However, acylated ghrelin responses were unchanged, suggesting that the acylated ghrelin-mediated orexigenic regulation is not improved as only total plasma ghrelin decreased.

Arabinoxylan fibre consumption improved glucose metabolism, but did not affect serum adipokines in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance.

The consumption of arabinoxylan, a soluble fibre fraction, has been shown to improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetic subjects. Soluble dietary fibre may modulate gastrointestinal or adipose tissue hormones regulating food intake. The present study investigated the effects of arabinoxylan consumption on serum glucose, insulin, lipids, leptin, adiponectin and resistin in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. In a randomized, single-blind, controlled, crossover intervention trial, 11 adults consumed white bread rolls as either placebo or supplemented with 15 g arabinoxylan for 6 weeks with a 6-week washout period. Fasting serum glucose, insulin, triglycerides, unesterified fatty acids, apolipoprotein A1 and B, adiponectin, resistin and leptin were assessed before and after intervention. Fasting serum glucose, serum triglycerides and apolipoprotein A-1 were significantly lower during arabinoxylan consumption compared to placebo (p=0.029, p=0.047; p=0.029, respectively). No effects of arabinoxylan were observed for insulin, adiponectin, leptin and resistin as well as for apolipoprotein B, and unesterified fatty acids. In conclusion, the consumption of AX in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance improved fasting serum glucose, and triglycerides. However, this beneficial effect was not accompanied by changes in fasting adipokine concentrations.

Arabinoxylan-enriched meal increases serum ghrelin levels in healthy humans.

Soluble fibre like arabinoxylan (AX) is thought to have beneficial effects on metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effect of a breakfast enriched in AX fibre on glucose, insulin and ghrelin values. AX-enriched and control breakfasts were served to fifteen young volunteers (nine female, six male). Glucose, insulin and ghrelin responses were measured after the meal. To avoid effects from differences in glucose metabolism, further analysis was restricted to those subjects with known normal glucose regulation (seven female, four male). The AX fibre-enriched breakfast did not significantly change glucose levels for two hours after breakfast, but decreased insulin levels in the entire cohort (p = 0.035). Glucose response was also not significantly different in subjects with normal glucose regulation (p = 0.367), and the insulin responses after an AX-enriched breakfast showed only a tendency towards lower values (p = 0.065). Nevertheless, plasma ghrelin two hours after AX-enriched breakfast was higher than after the control meal (396.1 +/- 36.4 pg/ml vs. 328.3 +/- 32.6 pg/ml, p < 0.001). In subjects with normal glucose regulation, the AX-enriched breakfast increased ghrelin levels without any significant difference in glucose or insulin response. This effect is therefore unlikely to be mediated by insulin, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated.

[Biological availability of zinc in whole grain products with different phytate contents]. / Biologische Verfügbarkeit von Zink in Getreidevollkornprodukten mit unterschiedlichem Phytatgehalt.

Due to its high phytate content, the bioavailability of zinc in whole meal cereal products is distinctly lower as compared to foods of animal origin. The effect of reducing the phytate content of cereal products made from rye and wheat on growth, zinc content of femur and blood serum, as well as on the activity of serum alkaline phosphatase was investigated during a 3-week feeding trial in growing rats. The reduction of phytate was achieved by controlling the phytase activity originally present in cereals. By these treatments, the molar phytic acid/zinc ratio in the cereal products was reduced from 27-37 to 3-18. The four parameters under investigation showed a significant improvement in zinc bioavailability with decreasing phytic acid/zinc ratios. The relevance of these results for man and the value of the molar phytic acid/zinc ratio as an indicator of the bioavailability of zinc in foods are discussed.

[Improved biological availability of zinc in coarse meal and crisp meal bread]. / Verbesserung der biologischen Verfügbarkeit von Zink in Schrot- und Knäckebrot.

A study was undertaken to determine whether the reduction of the molar phytic acid/zinc ratio by enrichment of wholemeal and crispbread with zinc improves zinc availability to the same extent as does the reduction of phytic acid in whole meal cereal products. For three weeks, five diets (three samples of wholemeal bread and two samples of crispbread] were fed to growing rats. Significant increases in bone-zinc deposition and activity of serum alkaline phosphatase were induced by those bread samples in which the phytic acid/zinc ratio had been lowered either by enrichment with zinc or by reduction of phytic acid (enzymatic hydrolysis by adjusting the pH-value of the dough with lactic acid) when compared with untreated bread samples. Weight gain of the animals differed little between the groups. The results suggest that it is possible to improve zinc availability in wholemeal cereal products high in phytate by enrichment with zinc.

[Methods for determination of insoluble and soluble dietary fiber in food stuff]. / Verfahren zur Bestimmung von unlöslichen und löslichen Ballaststoffen in Lebensmitteln.

A comparative evaluation of two enzymatic methods (method after Asp and the Berlin Method) and a detergent method (modified NDF-Method) for the determination of dietary fiber in food was carried out. The procedure of the Berlin Method is described in detail. The methods were used to analyse the dietary fiber content of cereal-based samples. In comparison with the other methods, the NDF-Method consistently gave lower dietary fiber values. This was also the case when only the insoluble dietary fiber was determined. With the enzymatic methods, the method after Asp gives higher values for the insoluble and lower values for the soluble dietary fiber than the Berlin Method.