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The acute effects of variations in the flour composition of crackers on the glycemic index and glycemic responses in healthy adults

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

This study assessed the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of three crackers formulated with different flours: a control cracker (CC) made with conventional flour, one with 30% whole wheat flour substitution (WWC), and another with 30% sunflower seed flour substitution (SFC). This study aimed to explore the impact of these substitutions, which vary in protein and fiber content, on the glycemic responses compared to a reference glucose drink.

Subjects/Methods

In a randomized controlled, crossover design, 11 healthy participants (mean age 23.5 ± 1 years; 7 women; BMI 23 ± 1 kg/m2), consumed cracker meals (CC, WWC, and SFC) each providing 50 g of available carbohydrates, and a 50 g glucose reference in separate sessions.

Results

The SFC crackers provided low GI and GL values (GI: 53 on the glucose scale, GL: 6 per serving), whereas the WWC and CC crackers provided high GI (GI: 77 and 90 on the glucose scale, respectively) and medium GL values (11 and 12 per serving, respectively). Compared with the glucose reference and CC crackers, only SFC induced lower postprandial glucose concentrations, lower glucose excursions, and lower peak glucose values. All crackers were rated as enjoyable and associated with increased satiety.

Conclusions

SFC moderated postprandial glycemic responses compared to CC and the reference (D-glucose), but not WWC. These effects may be attributed to the soluble fibers and protein content of the SFC. These findings suggest potential benefits for body weight management and glycemic control, warranting further investigation of the role of flour substitutions in healthy snack options.

Clinical trial registration

This trial has been registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05702372).

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Fig. 1: Flowchart of the current investigation, given as an example of the crossover randomized procedure.
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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the company Pavlos N. Pettas S.A. for partly funding this project and for providing us with the sunflower seed flour. This study was presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS, 14–17 November 2023, Belgrade, Serbia (Papakonstantinou E, Alsab V, Lympaki F, Chanioti S, Giannoglou M, Katsaros G. Short-term effects of crackers on glycemic index and glycemic responses: A randomized clinical trial in healthy adults. Proceedings. 2023;91:303. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091303).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lab of Dietetics and Quality of Life, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Emilia Papakonstantinou, Vasilis Alsab & Foteini Lympaki

  2. Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER”, 1 Sof. Venizelou Street, 14123, Lykovrissi, Athens, Greece

    Sofia Chanioti, Marianna Giannoglou & George Katsaros

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  1. Emilia Papakonstantinou
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Contributions

EP conceptualized and designed the study and drafted the manuscript; VA created the crackers, conducted the analysis of nutrients, available carbohydrates, and fibers in all food products, and collected the data; FL conducted the analysis of available carbohydrates, conducted statistical analysis, created the figures, and helped with drafting the manuscript; SC, MG, and GK conducted the analysis of nutrients, available carbohydrates, and fibers in all food products, all of which have read, edited, and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emilia Papakonstantinou.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the Agricultural University of Athens (EIDE Reference Number: 80/12.10.2022) and registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05702372).

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Papakonstantinou, E., Alsab, V., Lympaki, F. et al. The acute effects of variations in the flour composition of crackers on the glycemic index and glycemic responses in healthy adults. Eur J Clin Nutr (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-024-01482-0

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