Issue 9, 2017

A study of glycaemic effects following acute anthocyanin-rich blueberry supplementation in healthy young adults

Abstract

The postprandial response to ingested carbohydrate is recognised as a marker of metabolic health. Postprandial hyperglycaemia is observed in type 2 diabetes mellitus and is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cognitive deficits are also associated with type 2 diabetes. Therefore interventions which moderate postprandial glucose profiles are desirable. Here we investigated the impact of anthocyanin-rich wild blueberries on postprandial glucose response. Seventeen healthy young adults consumed a range of doses of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder, in smoothie form, in both sugar-matched and no-added-sugar conditions. Plasma glucose was determined by a capillary sampling method at baseline and at regular intervals up to 2.5 hours postprandially. Blueberries were observed to significantly extend the postprandial glucose response beyond the period observed for a sugar-matched control, characteristic of a beneficial glycaemic response. Furthermore, blueberries were observed to reduce peak postprandial glucose levels, although statistical significance was not achieved. The findings suggest a tempering of the postprandial glucose response in the presence of anthocyanin-rich blueberry, and are discussed with reference to likely glucoregulatory mechanisms of action and their implications for cognitive and type 2 diabetes research.

Graphical abstract: A study of glycaemic effects following acute anthocyanin-rich blueberry supplementation in healthy young adults

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 May 2017
Accepted
15 Jul 2017
First published
28 Jul 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Food Funct., 2017,8, 3104-3110

A study of glycaemic effects following acute anthocyanin-rich blueberry supplementation in healthy young adults

L. Bell, D. J. Lamport, L. T. Butler and C. M. Williams, Food Funct., 2017, 8, 3104 DOI: 10.1039/C7FO00724H

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