Low-Glycemic Diet with Beneo’s Palatinose Supports Blood Sugar, Fat Burning, In New Study in Asian Subjects

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Results from a study¹ recently published in the journal Nutrients and conducted in Chinese men found that a low-glycemic diet supplemented with Beneo’s (Morris Plains, NJ) functional carbohydrate isomaltulose Palatinose helped control subjects’ blood sugar levels and support weight management compared with a high-glycemic diet.

Isomaltulose, the researchers write, is a disaccharide carbohydrate composed of glucose and fructose that has been shown to improve glycemic responses in both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. They also note that Asian populations are the most susceptible to diabetes. The transition from prediabetes to diabetes, likewise, occurs much more quickly in Asian populations that in Caucasians. Existing scientific evidence indicates that a low-glycemic diet reduces glycemic response and minimizes postprandial fluctuations in blood glucose levels, which can otherwise trigger oxidative stress and which are also considered a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. In this study, researchers sought to determine whether the addition of a functional carbohydrate to a low-glycemic diet could offer further blood sugar and fat oxidation benefits. 

In the double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 20 healthy Chinese men were randomized to receive one of two diets: a high-glycemic profile diet to which researchers added sucrose, or a low-glycemic profile diet including Palatinose. Researchers focused specifically on two metabolic parameters-glycemic response and substrate oxidation (the process by which energy is generated within the cells from foods consumed). 

Over the course of the 42-hour study period, researchers continuously monitored participants’ blood sugar levels as well as energy expenditure and metabolism. The 42-hour study period was chosen in order to represent a “normal day-to-day situation.” Participants received the following treatment meals: dinner on day one of the study, and breakfast, lunch, and a snack on day two of the study. Both diets consisted of ready-to-eat teriyaki chicken, rice, soda, and jelly pudding, with either the added sucrose or Palatinose to differentiate between the high- and low-glycemic diets.

The researchers measured subjects’ glycemic response during two sessions over three consecutive days and separated by a washout period of at least five days. Researchers used the iPro2 Professional CGM-Medtronic MiniMed to monitor blood glucose levels, calibrated against finger-stick blood glucose measurements obtained from a blood glucose meter (OneTouch Ultra2). Energy expenditure, respiratory quotient, and substrate oxidation were measured using a dual-room facility. In addition, subjects were instructed to log their total food intake for day one and physical activity for all three days of the study.

At the end of the test period, the study authors found that participants fed the high-glycemic diet exhibited significantly higher glucose responses than did the subjects on the low-glycemic diet. The high-glycemic group also demonstrated significantly increased levels of carbohydrate oxidation, as well as a decrease in fat oxidation, compared with the low-glycemic group. The study authors thus concluded that the addition of Palatinose to a low-glycemic diet may help lower blood glucose levels and support weight management and fat burning.

Anke Sentko, vice president, regulatory affairs and nutrition communication, Beneo, explained in a press release why the study design was effective in measuring Palatinose’s ability to contribute to a healthier, low-glycemic diet: “The unique combination of measuring continuous blood glucose response, as well as energy provision, reflects a real-life scenario, rather than a snapshot situation. The benefits can be seen after each meal, and the cumulative benefit is even higher thanks to a shift in metabolic set-up that is carried over from one meal to the next.”

She continued: “Given that high blood sugar levels are a risk factor in the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, these findings demonstrate how Palatinose opens opportunities for consumer products that not only promote blood sugar management, but weight management as well.” She also pointed to an EU health claim which indicates that Palatinose can lower the rise in blood sugar when it is used to replace sucrose by 30%.

References:

1. Henry CJ et al., “A low glycaemic index diet incorporating isomaltulose is associated with lower glycaemic response and variability, and promotes fat oxidation in Asians,” Nutrients, vol. 9, no. 5 (May 2017): E473