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ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION |
1 From the Department of Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland (KSJ and HMM); the Departments of Medicine (DEL and LKN) and Clinical Chemistry (KES), Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland; VTT Biotechnology, Espoo, Finland (KA, K-HL, and KSP);and the Department of Medical Physiology, University of Copenhagen (JJH).
2 Supported by Fazer Bakeries Ltd, Raisio Ltd, Vaasan & Vaasan Oy, Viljava Ltd, and the Technology Development Center of Finland (Tekes).
3 Address reprint requests to KS Juntunen, Department of Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. E-mail: katri.juntunen{at}uku.fi.
| ABSTRACT |
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Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the content of rye fiber in rye breads on postprandial insulin and glucose responses.
Design: Nineteen healthy postmenopausal women aged 61 ± 1 y, with a body mass index (in kg/m2) of 26.0 ± 0.6, and with normal glucose tolerance participated in the study. The test products were refined wheat bread (control), endosperm rye bread, traditional rye bread, and high-fiber rye bread; each bread provided 50 g available carbohydrate and was served with breakfast. Plasma glucose, insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide 1, and serum C-peptide were measured in fasting and 8 postprandial blood samples. In vitro starch hydrolysis and the microscopic structure of the breads were also determined.
Results: Postprandial insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, and C-peptide responses to the rye breads were significantly lower than the response to the control; no significant differences in insulin and C-peptide responses to the rye breads were found. Glucose and glucagon-like peptide 1 responses to the rye breads were not significantly different from those to the control, except at 150 and 180 min. In vitro starch hydrolysis was slower in all rye breads than in the control, and the structure of continuous matrix and starch granules differed between the rye and control breads.
Conclusion: Total fiber content does not explain the lower postprandial insulin response to rye bread than to wheat bread, but structural differences between rye and wheat breads might.
Key Words: Rye wheat cereal fiber postprandial blood glucose insulin C-peptide glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide glucagon-like peptide 1 postmenopausal women
| INTRODUCTION |
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We showed previously that whole-meal rye bread and rye bread baked with whole kernels produce a lower insulin response than does refined wheat bread but no differences in glucose responses in healthy subjects (3, 4). These findings suggest that less insulin is required for the regulation of postprandial glucose excursions after the consumption of rye breads. The differences in the fiber content and structural characteristics between the rye and wheat breads may explain this finding. In most earlier studies in healthy (5) and diabetic (6-9) persons, with breads baked with milled flour, the postprandial glucose response was not affected by the amount of cereal fiber. However, in that study, the insulin response was not determined in healthy persons (5).
Preservation of the intact botanical structure of cereal grains has also been shown to lower the insulin response (10). Furthermore, food processing, such as baking, has been shown to reduce the digestibility of starch (11), which indicates the importance of preserved food structure and resistant starch for reduced hydrolysis.
In the present study we aimed to clarify the effect of rye fiber on the postprandial insulin response by changing the fiber content in rye breads. We also sought to clarify the role that differences in the structural properties of starch granules and the bread matrix may play in determining the postprandial insulin responses to rye and wheat breads.
| SUBJECTS AND METHODS |
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The test bread portions were served in random order at intervals of 1-2 wk. Wheat bread (control) was served twice to reduce the intraindividual variation, and the mean of these 2 determinations was used in the statistical analysis. Eating of traditional and high-fiber rye breads took longer than that of wheat bread (P = 0.006 and P = 0.0001, respectively). On average, refined wheat bread was eaten in 7 min and 46 s, endosperm rye bread in 8 min and 24 s, traditional rye bread in 9 min and 26 s, and high-fiber rye bread in 12 min and 42 s.
The subjects were advised to maintain their diet, body weight, and other living habits. Body weight was measured at each visit, and energy intake was quantified by recording the foods eaten before each test day. Heavy exercise and unusually large portions of food were forbidden on the day before each test, as was the consumption of alcohol for 2 d before the tests. Smoking was also forbidden on the morning of each test. The subjects were asked to arrive for all 5 study visits at the laboratory by car or by bus, if possible, to avoid extra stress.
Test products
The rye breads chosen as test products were endosperm rye
bread, traditional whole-meal rye bread, and whole-meal rye
bread enriched with rye bran (high-fiber rye bread). The test
products for the postprandial study were chosen by using the in
vitro starch hydrolysis method (see below). Commercial refined wheat bread (EloPakari; Vaasan & Vaasan Oy, Kuopio,
Finland) was used as the reference (control) bread.
Sourdough containing both yeast and lactobacilli was used in all rye breads. The endosperm rye bread formula comprised commercial rye endosperm flour (900 g), sourdough (731 g), water (430 g), fresh yeast (19 g), and salt (12.9 g). Sourdough was prepared from commercial endosperm flour (380 g), L62 (0.4 g Lactobacillus brevis) L73 (0.4 g L. plantarum), fresh yeast (3.8 g), and water (632 g). Traditional rye bread formula comprised commercial whole-meal rye flour (900 g), sourdough (731 g), water (450 g), fresh yeast (19 g), and salt (12.9 g). Sourdough was prepared from whole-meal rye flour (380 g), L62 (0.4 g L. brevis), L73 (0.4 g L. plantarum), fresh yeast (3.8 g), and water (632 g). High-fiber rye bread comprised whole-meal rye flour (540 g), rye bran (390 g), sourdough (731 g), water (450 g), fresh yeast (19 g), and salt (12.9 g). The sourdough was prepared similarly to whole-meal rye bread.
The dietary fiber content of the breads was determined
according to Asp et al (13), the protein content by the Kjeldahl
method (nitrogen x 5.7), and the fat content gravimetrically by
extraction in diethyl ether and petroleum ether after hydrolysis
with acid (Association of Official Analytical Chemists method
922.06, 1995). The moisture content was determined by oven
drying at 130 °C for 1 h. The energy value (kJ) per test portion
was calculated by using the weight of the portion (g) and the
following formula:
![]() | (1) |
The nutrient composition of the test bread portions is shown
in Table 2
. The rye-bread portions differed from each other
and from the refined wheat bread, especially in the amount of
total and insoluble dietary fiber. The variation in the amount of
soluble dietary fiber, however, was much smaller.
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-amylase was used to hydrolyze the
starch in a dialysis tube. Aliquots of the dialysate were removed for analysis of the reducing sugar content by the 3,5-dinitro salicylic method (15). A standard curve was prepared
by using maltose. The degree of hydrolysis was calculated as
the proportion of the potentially available starch degraded to
maltose. The hydrolysis index was calculated as the area under
the curve (AUC) for hydrolysis (0-180 min), with the product
as a percentage of the corresponding AUC with refined wheat
bread.
Microscopy of the breads
To determine the microscopic structure of the breads, several
pieces were taken from the center of the bread crumb. Samples
were embedded in agar gel and were chemically fixed in 1%
glutaraldehyde, dehydrated, and embedded in Historesin (Jung,
Heidelberg, Germany) as recommended by the manufacturer.
Sections (4-µm thick) were cut with a microtome (RM2055;
Leica Jung, Nussloch, Germany) and stained with 0.1% Light
Green (Gurr, BDH Ltd, Poole, United Kingdom), Lugol iodine
solution [0.33% I2 (wt:vol) and 0.67% KI (wt:vol)], and 0.01%
Calcofluor White M2R New (Fluorescent Brightener 28; Aldrich, Germany), and 0.1% Acid Fuchsin (Gurr, BDH Ltd) (16)
and examined with a microscope (BH-2 microscope; Olympus,
Tokyo). In light micrographs of bread, protein appears green,
amylopectin starch appears brown to gray, and amylose starch
appears blue.
Biochemical analyses
The serum samples were collected in prechilled tubes for
measurement of C-peptide. Plasma samples were collected in
prechilled EDTA-containing tubes for measurement of insulin,
GIP, and GLP-1, and in prechilled fluoride citrate-containing
tubes for glucose. The samples were centrifuged for 10 min at
2100 x g at -4°C to separate serum or plasma. The samples
were stored at -70°C until analyzed. Plasma glucose was
analyzed by the enzymatic photometric method (Granutest 250;
Merck, Damstadt, Germany) with the use of Kone Pro Clinical
Analyser (Kone Ltd, Espoo, Finland) and plasma insulin by
radioimmunoassay (Phadaseph Insulin RIA 100; Pharmacia
Diagnostica, Uppsala, Sweden). The interassay CVs in glucose
measurements were 3.9% (n = 149) and 3.7% (n = 149) for
the lowest and highest glucose controls, respectively, and for 3
different concentrations of insulin were 3.8% (n = 37), 3.2%
(n = 37), and 4.7% (n = 37) for the lowest, middle, and highest
controls, respectively.
The AutoDELFIA C-peptide, time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay method (TR-FIA; Perkin-Elmer Wallac, Turku, Finland) was used for the measurement of serum C-peptide. The intra- and interassay CVs varied between 3.1-5.0% and 1.9-3.0%, respectively, in the concentration range 0.5-2.9 nmol/L (n = 27).
GIP and GLP-1 concentrations in plasma were measured by radioimmunoassay after extraction of plasma with 70% ethanol. For the GIP radioimmunoassay, the carboxyl-terminal directed antiserum R 65 was used, which cross-reacts fully with human GIP but not with the so-called GIP 8000 (17). Human GIP and 125I human GIP (70 MBq/nmol) were used for standards and tracer. Plasma concentrations of GLP-1 were measured against standards of synthetic GLP-1 7-36 amide with the use of antiserum (code no. 89390) that is specific for the amidated carboxyl terminal of GLP-1 and, therefore, mainly reacts with GLP-1 of intestinal origin (18). For these assays, the detection limit was < 1 pmol/L, and the intraassay CV was < 6% at 20 pmol/L. All samples from the same subject were assayed in the same assay run.
Maximal glucose, insulin, C-peptide, GIP, and GLP-1 responses were calculated by subtracting the highest value from the corresponding fasting value. The plasma AUC at 180 min for glucose, insulin, GIP, and GLP-1 and the AUC at 120 min for C-peptide were calculated from the postprandial curve above the fasting concentration (19).
Statistics
The statistical analyses of the clinical data were done by
comparing the rye breads with the refined wheat bread and the
rye breads with each other. The statistical significance of the
differences was assessed by using the nonparametric Friedman's test followed by Wilcoxon's test for pairwise comparisons. To control the overall level of significance, the Bonferroni adjustment was used. In all analyses, P values < 0.05 were
considered to be statistically significant. The results are expressed as means ± SDs or SEMs. Data were analyzed with
SPSS for WINDOWS 8.0 program (SPSS, Chicago) (20).
| RESULTS |
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Postprandial serum C-peptide responses
The serum C-peptide responses mirrored the insulin responses (Figure 1
). Responses to endosperm rye and high-fiber
rye breads at 30 and 60 min (P = 0.0001-0.036) and to
traditional rye bread at 60 min (P = 0.0001) were lower than
those to refined wheat bread. In addition, the maximal C-peptide responses (P = 0.0001-0.006) and the 120-min AUC
to all rye breads (P = 0.006 for all breads) were smaller than
those to wheat bread (Table 3
). No significant differences
among the breads in the time interval to reach the maximal
C-peptide responses were seen.
Postprandial plasma GIP and GLP-1 responses
The plasma GIP responses to rye breads were significantly
lower than those to wheat bread at several time points: for
endosperm rye bread at 60 and 90 min (P = 0.0001 and P =
0.018, respectively); for traditional rye bread at 30, 45, 60, 90,
and 120 min (P = 0.0001-0.006); and for high-fiber rye bread
at 30, 45, 60, and 90 min (P = 0.0001-0.006) (Figure 1
). In
addition, the GIP responses to endosperm rye bread were
higher than those to traditional rye bread at 30 and 60 min and
to high-fiber rye bread at 30, 45, and 60 min (P =
0.006-0.042).
Furthermore, the maximal GIP increases after traditional and
high-fiber rye breads were significantly smaller than the increase after wheat bread (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0001, respectively), as were the AUCs for all rye breads (P = 0.0001-0.036) (Table 3
). Also, the maximal responses to traditional rye
and high-fiber rye breads (P = 0.012 and P = 0.030, respectively) and the AUC for traditional rye bread (P = 0.024) were
smaller than the corresponding values for endosperm rye bread
(Table 3
).
No significant differences were found in the GLP-1 responses among the test breads, except at the end of the study
between the high-fiber rye bread and wheat bread (P = 0.012
at 150 min and P = 0.012 at 180 min) (Figure 1
). The maximal
increases, maximal times, and the AUCs for GLP-1 also did not
differ significantly among the test products (Table 3
).
In one of the subjects the GIP and GLP-1 responses did not rise above the fasting concentration during the first postprandial test for refined wheat bread. The AUCs for GIP and GLP-1 calculated from the second postprandial test with refined wheat bread were therefore used as the mean values of the responses to wheat bread in this subject. The statistical analyses were also repeated after this subject's data were eliminated from the analyses, but the results remained essentially unchanged.
In vitro starch hydrolysis
In vitro starch hydrolysis differed among the test breads
(P = 0.029; Figure 2
). Hydrolysis indexes of 82 ± 3, 76 ± 2,
and 71 ± 4 were obtained for the endosperm, traditional, and
high-fiber rye breads, respectively.
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| DISCUSSION |
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In agreement with previous findings (5-9), the postprandial glucose response in the present study was unaffected by the content of fiber in the breads. Even though the glucose responses did not initially differ quantitatively, wheat bread was characterized by a decrease in glucose below fasting concentrations at the tail of the curve between 2 and 3 h. These decreased circulating glucose concentrations postprandially may increase hunger, increase the drive to eat, and stimulate the release of counterregulatory hormones (21). We also found smaller hydrolysis indexes for the rye breads (index: 71-82) than for wheat bread (index: 100) in vitro, which indicates a slower hydrolysis of starch in rye products. The findings of our postprandial study suggest that plasma glucose is tightly regulated in healthy persons, and possible differences in the release of glucose from different cereals are observed only as parallel changes in the demand of insulin. However, the fact that peripheral blood glucose represents the net effect of many postabsorptive processes in addition to the rate of glucose absorption should not be overlooked (22).
The insoluble components of cereal fibers are known to be ineffective in the regulation of postprandial glycemia and insulinemia when ingested with a glucose load (23, 24), although the role of insoluble cereal fiber in bread has not been well studied. Rye fiber also contains soluble fiber in the form of arabinoxylan (9%) and ß-glucan (2-3%) (25, 26). In the present study, however, the amount of soluble fiber in rye bread portions was small (3.0-4.8 g/portion), although it was greater than in refined wheat bread (1.2 g/portion). Furthermore, the absolute difference between the wheat and endosperm rye breads was as great as was the difference between endosperm and high-fiber rye bread. In earlier studies that showed a decrease in both the insulin and the glucose responses with arabinoxylan-enriched wheat breads and ß-glucan-rich barley breads, the content of soluble fiber was considerably larger, ranging from 3.7 to 14.1 g/portion (27, 28).
The reduced insulin response after the rye breads may also have been due to larger portions and longer ingestion times after traditional rye bread and high-fiber rye bread than after ingestion of wheat bread. This is not likely, however, because the portions and eating times for wheat and endosperm rye breads were almost identical, and the insulin responses between the endosperm and traditional, or the endosperm and high-fiber rye breads, did not differ significantly. There were also small differences in the fat and protein contents of the test bread portions. Although both nutrients are known to affect postprandial glucose and insulin responses (29, 30), findings with starchy foods (bread, spaghetti, and rice) (5) and with mixed meals (31) have shown that small differences in the intake of these nutrients have negligible effects on the overall postprandial glucose and insulin responses.
Incretins are hormones that are secreted during meals and that potentiate the insulin response to levels above those observed when the corresponding stimulus (usually glucose) is administered intravenously (32). The most important insulinotrophic incretins are GLP-1 and GIP. It is possible that the lower insulin response after rye bread in the present study was in part mediated by GIP. However, our previous intervention study showed that the first-phase insulin response to intravenous glucose was enhanced by 8 wk of rye bread ingestion as compared with ingestion of refined wheat bread (33). Because the response to intravenous glucose bypasses the gut incretin effect, the lowered postprandial insulin response to rye bread may not be solely explained by the reduced GIP response. On the other hand, different mechanisms may explain the decreased response of GIP to rye bread. Soluble fibers, such as guar gum, have been shown to decrease postprandial insulin and GIP responses in healthy persons (34-36) and in persons with type 2 diabetes (36, 37)with one exception (38)whereas insoluble fiber in the form of wheat bran (34) or cellulose (39) showed no effect. Also, the food structure may have an influence on GIP, but no studies regarding the role of mechanical food structure in the release of incretin have been published.
Because the present results on postprandial insulin responses are unlikely to be explained by the amount of dietary insoluble or soluble fiber, there may be other relevant differences between the wheat and rye breads. The structures of the continuous matrix and starch granules differed between rye and wheat breads after baking. In rye bread, a continuous phase was formed by closely packed starch granules, whereas in wheat bread the starch granules were entrapped in an extensible gluten network that formed the continuous phase. This caused a less porous and mechanically firmer structure in rye breads (40). Therefore, particle size before swallowing was probably much higher for rye than for wheat breads and could explain the slower rate of hydrolysis found in this study and previously (41). Furthermore, in wheat bread, starch remained inside the granule, became gelatinized, and was more accessible to hydrolysis by amylolytic enzymes. In contrast, in rye breads, amylose leached out and coated the starch granules, which made the starch resistant to hydrolysis after cooling. This phenomenon has been reported previously in rye bread (42). The coating of amylose on the surface of starch granules has also been suggested to retard the hydrolysis of amylopectin, the other main constituent of starch (43). In addition, the endogenous arabinoxylan-degrading enzyme xylanase in rye flour contributes to the release of amylose from starch granules (16).
The present study showed that a lower insulin secretion after the ingestion of rye bread than after the ingestion of wheat bread is not explained by the quantity of rye fiber in the bread but may be explained by differences in the structural properties of the 2 breads.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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KSJ wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All of the authors contributed to the revisions and subsequent drafts and reviewed the final version of the manuscript. None of the authors had any financial or personal relationship with sponsors of this work.
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