The ileal brake is a feedback mechanism controlling stomach-mediated transit of a meal, for which gastric emptying can be used as an indicator. Previously, slowly digestible carbohydrates (SDCs) were shown to activate the ileal brake in a rat model; the current research aimed to determine the effect of common SDCs in humans.
Diets containing slowly digestible carbohydrates (SDCs), in the form of starch-entrapped microspheres that digest into the ileum, were previously shown to reduce food intake in a diet-induced obese rat model by activating the gut-brain axis. These results suggested that SDCs trigger the ileal brake, which is a feedback mechanism controlling stomach-mediated transit of a meal. The ileal brake is characterized by delayed gastric emptying rate and increased satiety. The goal of this work was to determine if common SDCs trigger the ileal brake in humans, using gastric emptying rate as a proxy indicator. In a human study, SDCs were delivered through a semi-solid yogurt matrix, and gastric half-emptying time and postprandial glycemic response were assessed. The study was a five-arm, double-blind, crossover design with a one-week washout period between treatments (n=20, 9 females, 11 males). Four different carbohydrate ingredients (SDCs: isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO), Xtend® sucromalt, and raw corn starch; and non-SDC: maltodextrin) were incorporated individually, or in combination, into yogurt products matched in energy density and viscosity. Participants consumed 300 g test meals of yogurt formulated with one or a combination of the carbohydrate ingredients after an overnight fast. Gastric emptying rates and glycemic response were measured using a 13C-labeled octanoic acid breath test and continuous glucose monitors, respectively. Glucose readings were continuously monitored 24 h prior to and 48 h after test meal consumption, and breath samples were collected for a 4 h period following test meal consumption.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
20
Isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOs) incorporated into yogurt were tested for gastric emptying rate, glycemic response, appetitive response, and fermentability.
Xtend® sucromalt incorporated into yogurt was tested for gastric emptying rate, glycemic response, appetitive response, and fermentability.
A combination of IMOs and Xtend® sucromalt incorporated into yogurt was tested for gastric emptying rate, glycemic response, appetitive response, and fermentability.
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Gastric emptying rate
Breath test was performed using 13C-octanoic acid mixed into test meals
Time frame: Acute study; 4 hours of measurement after consumption of test food
Glycemic response
Blood glucose was measured using a continuous glucose monitor
Time frame: Acute study; 4 hours of measurement after consumption of test food
Appetite ratings (Visual Analog Scale, VAS)
Hunger and fullness scores were measured using a 10-cm scale (0 = weakest feeling of hunger or fullness and 10 = strongest feeling of hunger or fullness) after consumption of test food. Weaker feelings of hunger and stronger feelings of fullness indicate better outcomes.
Time frame: Acute study; 4 hours of measurement after consumption of test food
Breath hydrogen (fermentability)
Breath samples were collected in 15-minute intervals for 4 hours after consumption of test food and analyzed for hydrogen levels using a breath analyzer. Breath hydrogen levels are indicative of a food's fermentability.
Time frame: Acute study; 4 hours of measurement after consumption of test food
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Raw corn starch incorporated into yogurt was tested for gastric emptying rate, glycemic response, appetitive response, and fermentability.
Maltodextrin incorporated into yogurt was tested for gastric emptying rate, glycemic response, appetitive response, and fermentability.