Arabinoxylan fiber, a byproduct of wheat flour processing, reduces
the postprandial glucose response in normoglycemic subjects1,2
Zhong X Lu, Karen Z Walker, Jane G Muir, Tom Mascara, and Kerin O’Dea
ABSTRACT
Background: Arabinoxylan (AX) is the major component of
dietary fiber in the cereal grains that make up a large proportion
of our diet. However, the physiologic effect of AX is unknown.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether
AX improves postprandial glucose and insulin responses in
healthy humans.
Design: AX-rich fiber was extracted from the byproduct of
wheat-flour processing. Three isoenergic breakfasts, comprising
bread, margarine, and jam, had 75 g available carbohydrate, 10 g
protein, and 14 g fat and contained 0, 6, and 12 g AX-rich fiber,
respectively. Fourteen healthy subjects consumed the 3 breakfast
meals in random order on 3 mornings ≥ 3 d apart after an
overnight fast. Blood was taken from the subjects at regular inter-
vals over 2 h and was analyzed for glucose and insulin. The
palatability of bread containing AX-rich fiber was compared with
that of a control bread.
Results: Compared with the control meal containing 0 g AX-
rich fiber, the peak postprandial glucose concentration after
meals containing 6 and 12 g AX-rich fiber was significantly
lower (6.3 ± 1.3 compared with 7.2 ± 1.0 mmol/L, P < 0.01;
5.9 ± 0.9 compared with 7.2 ± 1.0 mmol/L, P < 0.001, respec-
tively). The incremental area under the curve (IAUC) for glu-
cose was 20.2% (95% CI: 5.8%, 34.7%; P < 0.01) and 41.4%
(25.9%, 56.8%; P < 0.001) lower, whereas IAUC for insulin was
17.0% (2.0%, 32.1%; P < 0.05) and 32.7% (18.8%, 46.6%; P <
0.001) lower, respectively. Bread containing AX-rich fiber was
as palatable as 50% whole-wheat bread when evaluated with
sensory analysis by 30 volunteers.
Conclusions: Postprandial glucose and insulin responses were
improved by ingestion of AX-rich fiber. Further research is
required to determine whether AX-rich fiber is of benefit to peo-
ple with type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1123–8.
KEY WORDS Arabinoxylan, hemicellulose, dietary fiber,
byproduct of wheat-flour processing, meal tolerance test, bread,
blood glucose, blood insulin, healthy volunteers
INTRODUCTION
Arabinoxylan (AX) is a hemicellulose that has a xylose
backbone with arabinose side chains (1). As a major component
of dietary fiber, it is found in many cereal grains (2). For exam-
ple, wheat grain, which is composed of an outer layer of bran
Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1123–8. Printed in USA. © 2000 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
and an inner layer of endosperm, is a rich source of AX. The
nonstarch polysaccharides (NSPs) in wheat bran are <64–69%
AX and 15–31% cellulose (3, 4), whereas NSPs in wheat
endosperm are <88% AX (5). Because AX is the major dietary
fiber component in the cereal grains that make up a large pro-
portion of our diet, it is important to study its physiologic
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effects. Although the beneficial effects of wheat bran on health
are now well documented (6, 7), little is known of the health
effects of purified AX.
AX is difficult to extract from wheat bran but can be produced
from wheat endosperm during the commercial processing of
wheat flour. When wheat flour is processed to produce starch
and gluten, the fiber component, which is mainly AX, is left in
the byproduct (8). We recently extracted an AX-rich fiber from
this byproduct. We have preliminary data in rats that directly
compare AX-rich fiber with guar gum and wheat bran and that
indicated that AX-rich fiber behaves like guar gum. Both were
predominantly fermented in the cecum (Lu et al, unpublished
observations, 1997). AX-rich fiber therefore appears to act as a
rapidly fermentable, soluble fiber.
The beneficial effects of soluble fiber on carbohydrate metab-
olism are well documented. Guar gum was shown to improve the
postprandial glucose response in healthy people (9–11) and in
people with type 2 diabetes (12, 13). In people with type 2 dia-
betes, soluble fiber was shown to improve long-term glycemic
control (14, 15). Other soluble fibers, such as b-glucan (16),
pectin (17), psyllium (18), and konjac-mannan (19), were also
shown to be of benefit. Similar data, however, are not yet avail-
able for the physiologic effects of AX, although a recent study in
humans showed that the addition of 10 g AX isolated from
maize/d to the diet for 6 mo improved glucose tolerance and
1
From the Centre for Population Health and Nutrition, Monash University,
Melbourne, and Weston Bioproducts, George Weston Foods Limited, Altona,
Australia.
2
Supported by an Australian Food Industry Science Center (AFISC)
Scholarship through Food Science Australia (ZXL).
3
Reprints not available. Address correspondence to K O’Dea, Centre for
Population Health and Nutrition, Monash Institute of Public Health Research,
Monash Medical Center, Level 5, Block E, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC
3168, Australia. E-mail: kerin.odea@med.monash.edu.au.
Received August 20, 1999.
Accepted for publication October 25, 1999.
1123
1124 LU ET AL

hemoglobin A1c concentrations in obese people with diabetes TABLE 1

(20). That study, however, lacked a control group. Therefore, the Ingredients and macronutrient contents of test breakfasts
aim of the present study was to compare the effect of meals con- Meal with low Meal with high
taining 0, 6, and 12 g AX-rich fiber on postprandial glucose and arabinoxylan-rich arabinoxylan-rich
insulin responses in healthy subjects. Thus, we hoped to deter- Control meal fiber content1 fiber content2
mine whether AX-rich fiber has potential for incorporation into g
fiber-enriched foods suitable for use in the management of type Ingredients
2 diabetes. The poor palatability of guar gum when incorporated Bread 107 123 147
into fiber-enriched food products has limited its practical use. Margarine 15 15 15
Therefore, a second aim of this study was to examine sensory Jam 33 33 33
responses to a bread containing AX-rich fiber. Nonfat milk 10 10 10
Weak tea 255 250 225
Total weight 420 421 420
SUBJECTS AND METHODS Macronutrient content
Starch 50 50 50
Subjects for the physiologic testing of meals and blood Sugar 25 25 25
sampling Protein 10 10 10
Fat 14 14 14
Eighteen university staff and students were recruited for this 1
Containing 6 g arabinoxylan-rich fiber.
physiologic study. Blood lipid concentrations were assessed in 2
Containing 12 g arabinoxylan-rich fiber.
all the volunteers during a first visit. Fasting total body weights
and heights were obtained with a digital scale (model 708;

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Seca, Hamburg, Germany) and a wall-mounted stadiometer
(model 26SM, Seca), respectively. The subjects were wearing
light clothing and no shoes when the measurements were
obtained. Body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) was calculated.
Fourteen healthy volunteers (5 men and 9 women) aged
32.0 ± 6.6 y, with a mean (± SD) BMI of 22.7 ± 4.3, serum cho-
lesterol of 4.12 ± 0.67 mmol/L, and serum triacylglycerol of
1.16 ± 0.45 mmol/L completed the study. The subjects received
written information about the study and all gave their informed
consent. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of
Deakin University. Subjects consumed breakfast meals con-
taining 0, 6, and 12 g AX-rich fiber in random order on 3 sep-
arate mornings ≥ 3 d apart after an overnight fast. The subjects
were blinded as to the test meals they received. An indwelling
catheter, kept patent with sterile 0.9% saline solution, was
inserted into a vein in the cubetal fossa and a fasting blood
sample was collected. Subjects then consumed 1 of the 3 test
breakfasts within a 15-min period and further blood samples
were collected 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 min after break-
fast began.
Arabinoxylan-rich fiber and the test breakfast meals
AX-rich fiber was extracted from the byproducts of wheat-
flour processing. Briefly, an AX-enriched residue remaining
after wheat-flour processing was collected onto a sieve (75 mm),
washed thoroughly with water, and spray-dried to a powder.
Three test breads were made by adding 0%, 7%, or 14% AX-
rich fiber on a dry-weight basis to a standard recipe for white
bread. These breads were baked by a professional baker and
were similar in flavor. The bread containing 14% AX-rich
fiber was slightly darker in color and was more moist than was
the bread containing 0% AX-rich fiber. The bread was stored
frozen at 220 8C and thawed before use. The AX-rich fiber and
each test bread were analyzed 3 times in duplicate for starch,
protein, and lipid contents, as described previously (21).
Briefly, starch content was measured with the Megazyme Total
Starch Kit (Megazyme, Dublin), nitrogen content was meas-
ured by using an automated Kjeldahl procedure (Gerhardt
Kjeldatherm, Turbosog and Vapodest, Bonn, Germany) before
protein content was calculated by using a conversion factor,
and lipid content was measured gravimetrically after chloro-
form:methanol (2:1) extraction. The water contents of the
breads were determined after freeze drying and the water
content of the AX-rich fiber was assessed with a moisture ana-
lyzer (Mettler LJ16; Mettler-Toledo AG, Greifensee, Switzer-
land). In addition, AX-rich fiber was analyzed 3 times in
duplicate for total dietary fiber by using the procedure of the
Association of Official Analytical Chemists (22) and for NSP
content by using a spectrophotometric method (23). The sugar
composition of the NSP component of AX-rich fiber was ana-
lyzed in duplicate by using gas-liquid chromography (23). The
AX content of the AX-rich fiber was calculated as the sum of
the arabinose and xylose contents. The ingredients used in the
test breakfast are listed in Table 1. Each breakfast meal com-
prised 3–4 slices of test bread, lightly toasted, and 33 g jam to
provide 75 g available carbohydrate. The breakfast meal also
included 15 g margarine and a cup of weak tea with milk. The
macronutrient contents of the jam, milk, and margarine used in
the test breakfast were determined by reference to Australian
food-composition tables (24) and the macronutrient contents
of the test breads were analyzed as described above.
Measurement of blood glucose, insulin, and lipids
Blood was collected into 2-mL fluoride heparin–containing
tubes. Plasma glucose was measured in triplicate with an auto-
matic analyzer (model 705; Hitachi, Tokyo) and commercially
available colorimetric reagents (Boehringer Mannheim GmbH
Diagnostica, Mannheim, Germany). Plasma insulin was meas-
ured in duplicate by radioimmunoassay (Linco Research Inc, St
Charles, MO). The intraassay and interassay CVs for glucose at
6.45 mmol/L were 0.7% and 0.9%, respectively. The corre-
sponding CVs for insulin at 287 pmol/L were 1.6% and 4.5%,
respectively. Serum total cholesterol and triacylglycerol concen-
trations were assayed in duplicate with an automatic analyzer
(Hitachi) and commercially available enzymatic colorimetric
reagents for cholesterol and triacylglycerol measurement, respec-
tively (Boehringer Mannheim). The interassay CV was 4.1% at
4.19 mmol/L and 3.1% at 7.67 mmol/L for serum cholesterol
and 3.7% at 1.69 mmol/L and 2.5% at 4.53 mmol/L for serum
triacylglycerol.
 ARABINOXYLAN-RICH FIBER REDUCES BLOOD GLUCOSE
TABLE 2
Composition of the arabinoxylan-rich fiber added to the test breads1
Content
Water (% by wt) 5.8 ± 0.3
Total starch (% by wt) 14.8 ± 1.0
Protein (% by wt) 9.5 ± 0.3
Total lipids (% by wt) Trace
Total dietary fiber (% by wt) 70.0 ± 1.6
Total NSP (% by wt)2 69.9 ± 0.9
Soluble:total NSP 0.62
Arabinoxylan3:total NSP 0.90
Arabinose:xylose 0.66
1–
x ± SD. Samples were analyzed 3 times in duplicate.
2
NSP, nonstarch polysaccharides.
3
Sample was analyzed in duplicate for sugar composition by using gas-
liquid chromatography (23). Arabinoxylan content was calculated as the
sum of arabinose and xylose from the sugar composition.
Calculation of glycemic index and insulinemic index and
dietary fiber content of breads containing arabinoxylan-rich
fiber
The incremental areas under the plasma glucose and insulin
response curves were measured as described by Wolever and
Jenkins (25) whereas the glycemic index (GI) of the breads con-
taining AX-rich fiber was calculated as previously described by
Jenkins et al (26). Briefly, the GI of bread containing AX-rich
fiber was calculated by expressing the incremental glucose area
for the test meal that included bread containing AX-rich fiber as
a percentage of the incremental glucose area for the meal that
included the control (white) bread consumed by the same sub-
ject. The insulinemic index (II) of the bread containing AX-rich
fiber was calculated in a similar manner.
The dietary fiber contents and GIs of the bread containing
AX-rich fiber were compared with those of other breads. The
dietary fiber contents of the breads containing AX-rich fiber
were calculated as the amount of total dietary fiber in all the
ingredients of the bread (white flour, whole-wheat flour, and
AX-rich fiber) divided by the weight of ingredients plus added
water. The total dietary fiber content of the white and whole-wheat
flour and other breads was obtained from Australian food-com-
position tables (24) and the dietary fiber content of the AX-rich
fiber was directly analyzed. The mean GIs of the other breads
were obtained from an international GI table as reported by Fos-
ter-Powell and Miller (27). Briefly, for each type of bread, GIs
from different studies listed were averaged and an SD was cal-
culated. GIs were taken only from studies in which white bread
was used as a reference food.
Sensory evaluation
A bread containing AX-rich fiber was compared with a control
bread by 30 untrained assessors (7 men and 23 women) recruited
from healthy university staff and students. None of these subjects
had participated in the physiologic testing of the meals as outlined
above. The assessors (mean age: 29 ± 9 y) had no previous expe-
rience in tasting the experimental bread samples and had no
knowledge of the experimental protocol for the meal tolerance
test. The control bread used for the sensory evaluation was made
with 50% whole-wheat and 50% white flour. This was compared
with a bread containing AX-rich fiber that was made with 50%
whole-wheat flour, 36% white flour, and 14% AX-rich fiber. For
1125
evaluation, the control and AX-rich-fiber breads were cut into sim-
ilar small triangles and randomly coded with a 3-digit number to
blind the assessors. No spread was used. Assessors were given a
separate evaluation sheet for each bread sample and were asked to
grade the breads in terms of flavor, color, texture, and overall
quality by using a hedonic scale of 9 scores ranging from “like
extremely” to “dislike extremely” (28). The assessors were instructed
to score flavor on the basis of the aroma and taste of the samples
and to score texture on the basis of touch and mouth feel (29).
Water was provided for rinsing the mouth before each taste.
Statistical analysis
Results are presented as means ± SDs. A repeated-measures
general linear model (GLM) using time, meal type, and time and
meal type interaction as within-subject factors was used to
compare the effects of meals containing different amounts of
AX-rich fiber at different time points over 2 h postprandially.
Differences in IAUC and in the GI and II were also tested by
repeated-measures GLM followed by contrast GLM. To deter-
mine whether there was a dose-dependent effect, one-tailed
Pearson’s correlation was used to correlate between the mean
Downloaded from www.ajcn.org by on November 14, 2009
IAUC for glucose and insulin and the different fiber contents of
the meals. Differences in hedonic score between the 2 types of
bread were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney nonparametric U test.
In all analyses, a value of P < 0.05 was considered significant.
All statistical analyses were performed by using SPSS 9.0 for
WINDOWS (SPSS Inc, Chicago).
RESULTS
Composition of the arabinoxylan-rich fiber and of test meals
The composition of the AX-rich fiber used in this study is
shown in Table 2. The AX-rich fiber contained no fat, little pro-
tein, and some starch but was rich in NSP (69.9%); the ratio of
soluble to insoluble NSP was 1.6. The NSP of the AX-rich fiber
contained 35.8% and 54.1% arabinose and xylose (% by wt),
respectively, plus small amounts of mannose, galactose, and glu-
cose. Thus, 89.9% of the NSP in AX-rich fiber was made up of
AX. The breads supplemented with AX-rich fiber had a higher
moisture content than did the control white bread (37.0 ± 0.4%,
43.4 ± 0.4%, and 48.8 ± 0.4% for the breads supplemented with
0%, 7%, and 14% AX-rich fiber, respectively). All meals used in
this study were isoenergic (1967 kJ) and of a similar total weight
(420 g). The ingredients and macronutrient contents of the meals
are shown in Table 1. In each meal, carbohydrate, protein, and fat
contributed 65%, 9%, and 26%, respectively, of total energy. The
meals that included breads containing 7% and 14% AX-rich fiber
provided 6 and 12 g AX-rich fiber, respectively.
Plasma glucose response to test meals
The mean plasma glucose response to the test meals is shown
in Figure 1A. Fasting plasma glucose concentrations did not dif-
fer before the 3 treatments. After the subjects consumed the test
meals, plasma glucose concentrations peaked at 30 min and had
returned to baseline concentrations by 60 min. The peak postpran-
dial glucose concentrations after meals containing 6 and 12 g AX-
rich fiber were significantly lower than after the control meal (P <
0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant differ-
ence in the peak glucose concentrations between the meals con-
taining 6 and 12 g AX-rich fiber (P = 0.219). At 45 min, only the
1126 LU ET AL
FIGURE 1. A: Mean (± SEM) effect of arabinoxylan (AX)-rich fiber
on the postprandial glucose response over 120 min (n = 14) after a con-
trol meal containing 0 g AX-rich fiber (d), a meal containing 6 g AX-
rich fiber (n), and a meal containing 12 g AX-rich fiber (j). *Signifi-
cantly different from the control meal (P < 0.01). **Value at the same
time point is significantly different from the control meal (P < 0.001) but
not different from the meal containing 6 g AX-rich fiber. Data were ana-
lyzed by using a repeated-measures general linear model (GLM) fol-
lowed by contrast GLM using time, meal type, and time and meal type
interaction as within-subject factors. B: Incremental area under the curve
(IAUC) for glucose from 0 to 120 min. The bars represent means ± SEMs
(n = 14). *Significantly different from the control meal (P < 0.05).
**
Significantly different from the control meal (P < 0.01) and the meal
containing 6 g AX-rich fiber (P < 0.05) on the basis of repeated-meas-
ures GLM followed by contrast GLM.
meal containing 12 g AX-rich fiber produced a significantly lower
plasma glucose response than did the control meal (P < 0.01).
Plasma insulin response to test meals
The mean plasma insulin response (Figure 2A) to test meals
containing different amounts of AX-rich fiber resembled those
seen with plasma glucose. Fasting plasma insulin concentrations
did not differ before the treatments and plasma insulin concen-
trations peaked at 30 min for each meal and fell slowly
thereafter. By 120 min, although insulin concentrations were
declining, they had not returned to baseline concentrations. Dif-
ferences in plasma insulin concentrations between the 3 meals
did not reach significance at each time point over 2 h except at
45 min, when only the meal containing 12 g AX-rich fiber
resulted in a significantly lower concentration compared with the
control meal (P < 0.001).
Incremental areas under the curves for glucose and insulin
The IAUC for glucose (Figure 1B) was 20.2% (95% CI:
5.8%, 34.7%; P < 0.01) and 41.4% (95% CI: 25.9%, 56.8%;
P < 0.001) lower after breakfasts containing 6 and 12 g AX-rich
fiber, respectively, than after the control meal. The difference in
IAUC for glucose between the meals containing 6 and 12 g AX-
rich fiber was also significant (P < 0.05). The corresponding
reduction in IAUC for insulin (Figure 2B) was 17.0% (95% CI:
2.0%, 32.1%; P < 0.05) and 32.7% (95% CI: 18.8%, 46.6%;
P < 0.001), respectively, compared with the control meal. The
difference in IAUC for insulin between the meals containing
6 and 12 g AX-rich fiber was not significant. An inverse relation
was obtained between the amount of AX-rich fiber in meals and
the mean IAUC for glucose (r2 = 0.989, P = 0.033) and insulin
(r2 = 0.999, P = 0.008).
Relative to the GI of the control bread (GI = 100), the GIs of
the breads containing 7% and 14% of AX-rich fiber were
79.7 ± 25.0 and 58.6 ± 26.7, respectively, whereas corresponding
IIs were 83.0 ± 26.0 and 67.3 ± 24.0, respectively.
Sensory evaluation
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No significant differences in the mean scores between the
control bread and the breads containing AX-rich fiber were
observed for flavor and color, texture, or overall quality. The
median scores for color and flavor, texture, and overall quality
were 4 (range: 2–6), 3 (2–7), 4 (2–7), and 4 (2–7), respectively,
for the control bread, whereas the median scores were 4 (2–6),
3 (1–7), 4 (2–7), and 3 (2–6), respectively, for the bread con-
taining 14% AX-rich fiber.
DISCUSSION
The AX-rich fiber prepared from the byproducts of wheat-
flour processing that was used in this study was highly enriched
in AX. AX made up nearly 90% of the total NSP content of this
AX-rich fiber, which is consistent with the proportion of AX in
the NSP of wheat endosperm reported previously (5). The ratio
of arabinose to xylose in the AX-rich fiber obtained in this study
was 0.66, which is also consistent with values ranging from 0.55
(30) to 1.19 (2) previously reported for wheat.
Addition of as little as 6 g AX-rich fiber to bread eaten in a
breakfast meal significantly lowered postprandial glucose and
insulin responses in healthy persons. The response was dose
dependent, as indicated by the strong inverse relation between
the amount of AX-rich fiber in the meals and the mean IAUC
from each group for glucose (r2 = 0.989, P = 0.033) and insulin
(r2 = 0.999, P = 0.008). Moreover, bread containing AX-rich
fiber proved palatable and acceptable to subjects. The effect of
AX-rich fiber on glucose and insulin responses in this study
resembled those reported previously in studies using other solu-
ble fibers, such as guar gum (31) and psyllium (18).
The mechanisms by which AX-rich fiber flattens the post-
prandial glucose response are as yet unknown, but because AX is
a soluble fiber (Lu et al, unpublished observations, 1997), it is
likely that its high viscosity may slow the rate of gastric empty-
ing (9, 32) and reduce small intestinal motility (33), which
results in delayed glucose absorption and hence, a flattened
blood glucose response.
Many studies showed the efficacy of guar gum in lowering
blood glucose response both in healthy people (9–11) and in
 ARABINOXYLAN-RICH FIBER REDUCES BLOOD GLUCOSE
FIGURE 2. A: Mean (± SEM) effect of arabinoxylan (AX)-rich fiber
on the postprandial insulin response over 120 min (n = 14) after a con-
trol meal containing 0 g AX-rich fiber (d), a meal containing 6 g AX-
rich fiber (n), and a meal containing 12 g AX-rich fiber (j). *Value at
the same time point is significantly different only from the control meal
(P < 0.05) on the basis of repeated-measures general linear model
(GLM) followed by contrast GLM. Panel B: Incremental area under the
curve (IAUC) for insulin from 0 to 120 min. The bars represents
means ± SEMs; n = 14. *Significantly different from the control meal
(P < 0.05) but not significantly different from each other on the basis of
a repeated-measures GLM followed by contrast GLM.
people with type 2 diabetes (12–14). However, the widespread
use of guar gum has been hindered by its relatively poor palata-
bility. In contrast, breads supplemented with AX-rich fiber were
shown to have palatability equal to that of a 50% whole-wheat
bread. In addition, the breads made with AX-rich fiber had a low
GI, which compares very favorably with that reported in a review
of studies of other breads (27). Only mixed-grain bread has a sim-
ilar GI (64 ± 17; n = 4 studies) to that of bread containing 14%
AX-rich fiber (59 ± 27) and only bread made with a high propor-
tion (> 75%) of barley kernels has a lower GI (49 ± 10; n = 3 stud-
ies). Inclusion of mixed-grain or whole-wheat breads in the diet is
usually recommended for people with type 2 diabetes (34).
Mixed-grain breads are high in fiber (5.1% by wt) (24) and have a
lower GI than other breads but they can be difficult to chew, par-
ticularly for elderly people with poor dentition. Although whole-
wheat bread is rich in fiber (6.5% by wt) (24) and is easy to chew,
1127
it has a high GI (99 ± 10; n = 10 studies). Bread containing AX-
rich fiber avoids these problems: it has a low GI, it is rich in
dietary fiber (4.8% and 6.7% by wt, respectively, for the breads
containing 7% and 14% AX-rich fiber), and, because it does not
contain kernels, it is also easy to chew. In addition, bread contain-
ing AX-rich-fiber retains moisture and has a pleasant mouth feel.
In the past 2 decades, the possibility that low-GI foods have a
role in both prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes has been
examined. Diets of high glycemic load have been reported to
increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in men (35) and women (36).
Moreover, these studies showed an inverse relation between intake
of cereal fiber and risk of diabetes. Low-GI diets followed for 5–12
wk were shown to improve fasting blood glucose and serum fruc-
tosamine concentrations in people with type 2 diabetes (37, 38). In
a meta-analysis in which the use of low-GI food for the treatment of
diabetes was reviewed, Miller (39) reported that, on average, low-
GI diets reduced glycosylated hemoglobin by 9%, fructosamine by
8%, urinary C-peptide by 20%, day-long blood glucose by 16%,
cholesterol by 6%, and triacylglycerol by 9%. More recently, a
study showed that consumption of low-GI foods by people with
type 2 diabetes not only improved peripheral insulin sensitivity but
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also lowered plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1),
thereby improving the capacity for fibrinolysis (40). In our study,
responses to the breads containing AX-rich fiber were tested in
healthy persons. However, if the results parallel those of studies in
which guar gum was used, similar or more pronounced responses
might be expected in people with type 2 diabetes (12, 18), a con-
clusion that will require confirmation in subsequent studies.
In conclusion, the present study showed beneficial effects of
AX-rich fiber prepared as a byproduct of wheat-flour processing on
postprandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy persons. The
benefit of AX-rich fiber is 3-fold. AX-rich fiber is a natural dietary
fiber that can be added as a supplement to a wide range of cereal
products, including bread, muffins, and breakfast cereals. These
foods could have utility in the diet of the general population as
fiber-rich foods that retain palatability. In addition, foods contain-
ing AX-rich fiber may have utility in the diets of people with dia-
betes or impaired glucose tolerance. Further studies are required to
determine this potential. Finally, because substantial amounts of
white flour are used worldwide for the production of starch and
gluten, the supplementation of foods with AX-rich fiber provides a
potential commercial use for an otherwise discarded product.
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