Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Effects of GI and content of indigestible carbohydrates of cereal-based evening meals on glucose tolerance at a subsequent standardised breakfast

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 60, pages 1092–1099 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of four low-glycaemic index (GI) and one high-GI cereal-based evening meals on glucose tolerance at a subsequent standardised breakfast.

Design:

Wheat kernels, barley kernels, spaghetti, spaghetti with added wheat bran and white wheat bread (WWB) were consumed in the evening in a random order at five different occasions. At the subsequent breakfast, blood glucose, serum insulin, plasma short chain fatty acid, plasma free fatty acid (FFA) and breath hydrogen were measured.

Setting:

The study was performed at Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund University, Sweden.

Subjects:

Fifteen healthy volunteers were recruited. One subject was later excluded owing to abnormal blood glucose values.

Results:

The blood glucose response (0–120 min) to the standardised breakfast was significantly lower after consuming barley kernels in the evening compared with evening meals with WWB (P=0.019) or spaghetti+wheat bran (P=0.046). There were no significant differences in insulin concentrations at breakfast. Breath hydrogen excretion at breakfast was significantly higher after an evening meal with barley kernels compared with WWB, wheat kernels or spaghetti (P=0.026, 0.026 and 0.015, respectively), and the concentration of plasma propionate at breakfast was significantly higher following an evening meal with barley kernels compared with an evening meal with WWB (P=0.041). In parallel, FFA concentrations were significantly lower after barley kernels compared with WWB (P=0.042) or spaghetti evening meals (P=0.019).

Conclusions:

The improved glucose tolerance at breakfast, following an evening meal with barley kernels appeared to emanate from suppression of FFA levels, mediated by colonic fermentation of the specific indigestible carbohydrates present in this product, or, to the combination of the low-GI features and colonic fermentation.

Sponsorship:

European Commission QLK1-2001-00431 (EUROSTARCH).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Åkerberg AKE, Liljeberg HGM, Granfeldt YE, Drews A, Björck IM (1998). An in vitro method, based on chewing, to predict resistant starch content in foods allows parallel determination of potentially available starch and dietary fibre. J Nutr 128, 651–659.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JW (2003). Whole grains protect against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Proc Nutr Soc 62, 135–142.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JW, Bridges SR (1984). Short-chain fatty acid fermentation products of plant fiber affect glucose metabolism of isolated rat hepatocytes. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 177, 372–376.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JW, Hanna TJ, Peng X, Kryscio RJ (2000). Whole grain foods and heart disease risk. J Am Coll Nutr 19, 291S–299S.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arner P (2001). Free fatty acids – do they play a central role in type 2 diabetes? Diabetes Obes Metab 3 (Suppl 1), S11–S19.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arner P (2002). Insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes: role of fatty acids. Diabetes/Metab Res Rev 18 (Suppl 2), S5–S9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Asp N-G, Johansson C-G, Hallmer H, Siljeström M (1983). Rapid enzymatic assay of insoluble and soluble dietary fibre. J Agric Food Chem 31, 476–482.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berggren AM, Nyman EM, Lundquist I, Bjorck IM (1996). Influence of orally and rectally administered propionate on cholesterol and glucose metabolism in obese rats. Br J Nutr 76, 287–294.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brand-Miller JC (2003). Glycemic load and chronic disease. Nutr Rev 61, S49–S55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cherbut C (2003). Motor effects of short-chain fatty acids and lactate in the gastrointestinal tract. Proc Nutr Soc 62, 95–99.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings JH, Macfarlane GT, Englyst HN (2001). Prebiotic digestion and fermentation. Am J Clin Nutr 73, 415S–420S.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings JH, Pomare EW, Branch WJ, Naylor CP, Macfarlane GT (1987). Short chain fatty acids in human large intestine, portal, hepatic and venous blood. Gut 28, 1221–1227.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrannini E, Barrett EJ, Bevilacqua S, DeFronzo RA (1983). Effect of fatty acids on glucose production and utilization in man. J Clin Invest 72, 1737–1747.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Frost G, Keogh B, Smith D, Akinsanya K, Leeds A (1996). The effect of low-glycemic carbohydrate on insulin and glucose response in vivo and in vitro in patients with coronary heart disease. Metabolism 45, 669–672.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frost G, Leeds A, Trew G, Margara R, Dornhorst A (1998). Insulin sensitivity in women at risk of coronary heart disease and the effect of a low glycemic diet. Metabolism 47, 1245–1251.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Granfeldt Y, Bjorck I, Drews A, Tovar J (1992). An in vitro procedure based on chewing to predict metabolic response to starch in cereal and legume products. Eur J Clin Nutr 46, 649–660.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Granfeldt Y, Wu X, Björck I (2006). Determination of glycaemic index; some methodological aspects related to the analysis of carbohydrate load and characteristics of the previous evening meal. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 104–112.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holm J, Björck I, Drew A, Asp NG (1986). A rapid method for the analysis of starch. Starch/Stärke 38, 224–226.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Homko CJ, Cheung P, Boden G (2003). Effects of free fatty acids on glucose uptake and utilization in healthy women. Diabetes 52, 487–491.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins DJ, Axelsen M, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Vuksan V, Smith U (2000). Dietary fibre, lente carbohydrates and the insulin-resistant diseases. Br J Nutr 83 (Suppl 1), S157–S163.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Franceschi S, Hamidi M, Marchie A et al. (2002). Glycemic index: overview of implications in health and disease. Am J Clin Nutr 76, 266S–273S.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins DJ, Wolever TM, Taylor RH, Griffiths C, Krzeminska K, Lawrie JA et al. (1982). Slow release dietary carbohydrate improves second meal tolerance. Am J Clin Nutr 35, 1339–1346.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen CB, Storgaard H, Holst JJ, Dela F, Madsbad S, Vaag AA (2003). Insulin secretion and cellular glucose metabolism after prolonged low-grade intralipid infusion in young men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88, 2775–2783.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leeds AR (2002). Glycemic index and heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr 76, 286S–289S.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liljeberg H, Bjorck I (2000). Effects of a low-glycaemic index spaghetti meal on glucose tolerance and lipaemia at a subsequent meal in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 54, 24–28.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liljeberg HG, Åkerberg AK, Bjorck IM (1999). Effect of the glycemic index and content of indigestible carbohydrates of cereal-based breakfast meals on glucose tolerance at lunch in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 69, 647–655.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liu S, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB, Franz M, Sampson L et al. (2000). A prospective study of dietary glycemic load, carbohydrate intake, and risk of coronary heart disease in US women. Am J Clin Nutr 71, 1455–1461.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Liu S, Saltzman E, Wilson PW, Jacques PF (2004). Carbohydrate nutrition, insulin resistance, and the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diabetes Care 27, 538–546.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison DJ, Cooper K, Waldron S, Slater C, Weaver LT, Preston T (2004). A streamlined approach to the analysis of volatile fatty acids and its application to the measurement of whole-body flux. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 18, 2593–2600.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muir JG, Lu ZX, Young GP, Cameron-Smith D, Collier GR, O'Dea K (1995). Resistant starch in the diet increases breath hydrogen and serum acetate in human subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 61, 792–799.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rumessen JJ (1992). Hydrogen and methane breath tests for evaluation of resistant carbohydrates. Eur J Clin Nutr 46 (Suppl 2), S77–S90.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salmeron J, Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Spiegelman D, Jenkins DJ et al. (1997a). Dietary fiber, glycemic load, and risk of NIDDM in men. Diabetes Care 20, 545–550.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salmeron J, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Wing AL, Willett WC (1997b). Dietary fiber, glycemic load, and risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in women. J Am Med Assoc 277, 472–477.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze MB, Liu S, Rimm EB, Manson JE, Willett WC, Hu FB (2004). Glycemic index, glycemic load, and dietary fiber intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes in younger and middle-aged women. Am J Clin Nutr 80, 348–356.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slater C, Preston T (2004). Automated breath hydrogen measurement at the part-per-million level on a continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometer. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 18, 2502–2504.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thorburn A, Muir J, Proietto J (1993). Carbohydrate fermentation decreases hepatic glucose output in healthy subjects. Metabolism 42, 780–785.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trinick TR, Laker MF, Johnston DG, Keir M, Buchanan KD, Alberti KG (1986). Effect of guar on second-meal glucose tolerance in normal man. Clin Sci 71, 49–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Venter CS, Vorster HH, Cummings JH (1990). Effects of dietary propionate on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in healthy volunteers. Am J Gastroenterol 85, 549–553.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolever TM, Jenkins DJ, Ocana AM, Rao VA, Collier GR (1988). Second-meal effect: low-glycemic-index foods eaten at dinner improve subsequent breakfast glycemic response. Am J Clin Nutr 48, 1041–1047.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolever TM, Spadafora P, Eshuis H (1991). Interaction between colonic acetate and propionate in Humans. Am J Clin Nutr 53, 681–687.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolever TMS, Bentum-Williams A, Jenkins DJA (1995). Physiological modulation of plasma free fatty acid concentrations by diet. Metabolic implications in nondiabetic subjects. Diabetes Care 18, 962–970.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wright RS, Anderson JW, Bridges SR (1990). Propionate inhibits hepatocyte lipid synthesis. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 195, 26–29.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr C Slater at the Division of Developmental Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK and Dr D Morrison, Mrs A Small, and Ms K Cooper at the Stable Isotope Biochemistry Laboratory, Scottish Universities, UK for skilful assistance with SCFA and breath hydrogen analysis. We gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Mrs L Persson at Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund University, Sweden. The study was funded by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme of Research and Technical Development, specifically the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources, Key Action 1 Food, Nutrition and Health, QLK1-2001-00431.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Technology, Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    A Nilsson, Y Granfeldt, E Östman & I Björck

  2. Stable Isotope Biochemistry Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Glasgow, UK

    T Preston

Authors
  1. A Nilsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y Granfeldt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E Östman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T Preston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. I Björck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Nilsson.

Additional information

Guarantor: I Björck.

Contributors: AN and IB made the study design with assistance from YG, EÖ and TP. AN was in charge of the collection and analysis of data. AN had the primary responsibility of writing the manuscript, but all authors provided comments on several drafts. None of the authors had any conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nilsson, A., Granfeldt, Y., Östman, E. et al. Effects of GI and content of indigestible carbohydrates of cereal-based evening meals on glucose tolerance at a subsequent standardised breakfast. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 1092–1099 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602423

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602423

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links