The Sourdough School

BALM – Proven as one of the healthiest approaches to bread in the world.

Based in the walled gardens of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell's beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire, UK, we tutor individuals and train bakers and healthcare professionals in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM). Personalising bread to your lifestyle, gut microbiome, and unique genetics for optimal health—tailoring fermentation, fibre, and diversity so that your daily bread becomes the foundation of your health.

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151 - ‘Effects of breakfast cereals containing various amounts of beta-glucan fibers on plasma glucose and insulin responses in NIDDM subjects’. Diabetes Care. 19(8):831-4.

Reference Number: 151

Year: 1996

Authors: Tappy L1, Gügolz E, Würsch P.

Link: Link to original paper

Health: Diabetes | Glycemic response

Nutrition: Fibre

Inclusions: Oats

Summary

Summary

To determine whether increasing doses (amounts) of beta-glucan present in an extruded breakfast cereal affect the glycemic and insulinemic responses in eight NIDDM subjects, compared with the same responses after a continental breakfast (bread, milk, cheese, ham).

Breakfast cereals were produced using various proportions of oat bran enriched in fiber, which contain an unusually high amount of a viscous polysaccharide, called beta-glucan, and oat bran. The carbohydrate load was 35 g.

The maximum increases observed in plasma glucose after the breakfast cereal were 67% (P < 0.05), 42% (P < 0.001), and 38% (P < 0.001) with 4.0, 6.0, and 8.4 g beta-glucan, respectively, compared with the continental breakfast. There was a linear inverse relationship between dose of beta-glucan and plasma glucose peak or area under the glucose curve (R2 = 0.94, P < 0.05). Postprandial insulin increase was only 59-67% (P < 0.01) as high as the continental breakfast after all three levels of beta-glucan.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY:

 

A pilot study that showed that a 50% decrease in glycemic response was observed after the ingestion of 35 g carbohydrate which was estimated to occur with approximately 5 g beta-glucan. The use of foods enriched with beta-glucan, especially at breakfast, is of potential interest in several clinical conditions, including insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and Non (IDDM) patients, to reduce hyperglycemia and insulin need. Based on these findings, simply incorporating porridge sourdough loaves as part of your daily breakfast may be a good way to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Take a look at our courses at The Sourdough School

All reasonable care is taken when advising about health aspects of bread, but the information that we share is not intended to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. You must seek professional advice if you are in any doubt about any medical condition. Any application of the ideas and information contained on this website is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

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