The acute effect of a β-glucan-enriched oat bread on gastric emptying, GLP-1 response, and postprandial glycaemia and insulinemia: a randomised crossover trial in healthy adults

Ingrid Revheim; Simon Ballance; Adelheid Fretland Standal; Anne Rieder; Jutta Dierkes; Anette E Buyken; Odd Helge Gilja; Trygve Hausken; Hanne Rosendahl-Riise

doi:10.1186/s12986-024-00789-w

The acute effect of a β-glucan-enriched oat bread on gastric emptying, GLP-1 response, and postprandial glycaemia and insulinemia: a randomised crossover trial in healthy adults

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2024 Mar 18;21(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12986-024-00789-w.

Authors

Ingrid Revheim¹, Simon Ballance², Adelheid Fretland Standal³, Anne Rieder², Jutta Dierkes^{3

4

5}, Anette E Buyken⁶, Odd Helge Gilja^{7

8}, Trygve Hausken^{7

8}, Hanne Rosendahl-Riise^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. ingrid.revheim@uib.no.
² Norwegian Institute for Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Ås, Norway.
³ Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁴ Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁵ Department of Medical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
⁶ Institute of Nutrition, Consumption and Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany.
⁷ National Centre for Ultrasound in Gastroenterology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
⁸ Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.

Abstract

Background: The cereal fibre β-glucan reduces postprandial glycaemia, however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the acute effect of a β-glucan-enriched oat bread on gastric emptying half-time (T_1/2), gastric emptying lag phase (T_lag), and gastric emptying rate (GER), and the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) as potential means to influence postprandial glycaemia.

Methods: A randomised crossover trial was conducted in 22 healthy adults (age 24.6 ± 3.1 years, BMI 23.1 ± 2.7 kg/m²) receiving 25 g available carbohydrates from a β-glucan-enriched oat bread or a control whole-wheat bread at two non-consecutive days. T_1/2, T_lag, and GER were determined based on ultrasound measures of the cross-sectional gastric antrum area in the fasting state and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min postprandially. Capillary glucose, serum insulin, and plasma GLP-1 concentrations were measured at the same time points.

Results: A biphasic pattern of gastric emptying with a distinct T_lag before the commencement of emptying was observed in most subjects for both bread types. While no differences in GER were evident (p = 0.562), consumption of the oat bread significantly increased T_1/2 by 18 min and T_lag by 14 min compared with the whole-wheat bread (p = 0.005 and p = 0.010, respectively). In addition, the oat bread significantly reduced iAUC_2h for glucose and insulin responses compared with the whole-wheat bread (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). There were no significant differences in GLP-1 response between the two breads (p = 0.892).

Conclusion: The increased T_1/2 and T_lag could offer a potential mechanism for the observed attenuation of postprandial glycaemia and insulinemia after consumption of the β-glucan-enriched oat bread compared with the whole-wheat bread.

Trial registration: The study is registered at clinicaltrails.gov (NCT04571866).

Keywords: Gastric emptying; Gastrointestinal hormones; Glycaemia; Insulinemia; Oats; Postprandial responses; Ultrasound; β-glucans.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04571866

Abstract

Associated data

Grants and funding