pectins and Hyperglycemia

The health-promoting properties of apples are directly related to the biologically active compounds that they contain, such as polyphenols. The objective of this study was to prepare a low-sugar, fibre- and phlorizin-enriched powder from unripe apples and to gain insight regarding its anti-hyperglycaemic activity in healthy volunteers.. The unripe apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) were collected 30 days after the full bloom day; blanched and pressed to obtain apple pomace which was then processed with a food cutter, oven-dried and milled to prepare apple powder. The concentrations of total sugars, water-soluble pectin and phlorizin in the apple preparation were 153.44 ± 2.46, 27.73 ± 0.51 and 12.61 ± 0.15 g kg(-1), respectively. Acute ingestion of the apple preparation improved glucose metabolism in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in six healthy volunteers by reducing the postprandial glucose response at 15 to 30 min by approximately two-fold (P < 0.05) and by increasing urinary glucose excretion during the 2- to 4-h interval of the OGTT by five-fold (P < 0.05).. The results obtained indicate that the dried and powdered pomace of unripe apples can be used as a health-promoting natural product for the reduction of postprandial glycaemia and to improve the health of patients with diabetes.

Topics: Blood Glucose; Dietary Fiber; Dietary Sucrose; Female; Fruit; Glucose Tolerance Test; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents; Malus; Pectins; Phlorhizin; Plant Extracts; Polyphenols; Postprandial Period; Powders; Reference Values

Topics: Diabetes Mellitus; Fruit; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Insulin; Pancreatic Function Tests; Pectins

To define the type of dietary fibre of fibre analogue with the greatest potential use in diabetic treatment, groups of four to six volunteers underwent 50-g glucose tolerance tests (GTT) with and without the addition of either guar, pectin, gum tragacanth, methylcellulose, wheat bran, or cholestyramine equivalent to 12 g fibre. The addition of each substance significantly reduced blood glucose concentration at one or more points during the GTT and generally reduced serum insulin concentrations. The greatest flattening of the glucose response was seen with guar, but this effect was abolished when hydrolysed non-viscous guar was used. The reduction in the mean peak rise in blood glucose concentration for each substance correlated positively with its viscosity (r = 0.926; P less than 0.01), as did delay in mouth-to-caecum transit time (r = 0.885; P less than 0.02). Viscous types of dietary fibre are therefore most likely to be therapeutically useful in modifying postprandial hyperglycaemia.

Topics: Adult; Blood Glucose; Cellulose; Cholestyramine Resin; Diabetes Mellitus; Dietary Fiber; Eating; Edible Grain; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Insulin; Male; Pectins; Viscosity

The prevalence of obesity has raised global concerns. Environmental pollutants are one of the main causes of obesity. Many studies have demonstrated that dietary fiber could reduce obesity induced by high-fat diets, but whether environmental pollutant-induced obesity can be reversed is still unknown.. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pectin on obesity induced by a typical environmental pollutant p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and explore the underlying mechanism by which pectin reversed p,p'-DDE-induced obesity.. p,p'-DDE was used to induce obesity in C57BL/6J mice and pectin was supplied during and after cessation of p,p'-DDE exposure. Body and fat weight gain, plasma lipid profile and insulin resistance of mice were assessed. Gut microbiota composition and the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as well as the receptor proteins and hormones in the SCFAs-related signaling pathway were analyzed. Moreover, p,p'-DDE levels in various tissues of mice were detected.. Pectin supplementation reversed body and fat weight gain, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in p,p'-DDE-exposed mice. Furthermore, pectin apparently altered the p,p'-DDE-induced microbial composition and then promoted the levels of SCFAs in colonic feces as well as the expression of G-protein coupled receptors and the concentration of hormone peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Pectin treatment also significantly reduced p,p'-DDE accumulation in mice tissues during p,p'-DDE exposure but did not change p,p'-DDE metabolism after termination of p,p'-DDE exposure.. Pectin had a good effect on reducing p,p'-DDE-induced obesity through regulating gut microbiota and provided a potential strategy for the treatment of environmental pollutant-caused health problems.

Topics: Animals; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; Dyslipidemias; Environmental Pollutants; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Hyperglycemia; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Obesity; Pectins

The objective of present project was to improve the dissolution profile of gliclazide by developing floating alginate beads using various biodegradable polymers like gelatin, pectin and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC). The floating beads were prepared by a simple ionotropic gelatin method using calcium carbonate as gas generating agent. The developed beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared beads showed good in vitro floatation, which was dependent on the concentration of gas-forming agent. SEM photomicrographs confirmed that the developed beads were spherical in shape and had particle size in the range of 730 to 890 μm. The incorporation efficiency was found to be in the range of 59.96 to 85.1%. The cumulative percent drug release from the beads after 10 h dissolution study at pH 1.2 and pH 5.8 was in the range of 33 to 46% and 82 to 95% respectively. The concentration of the gas generating agent was found to influence the release rate. The mechanism of drug release was Fickian diffusion with swelling. The in vivo sub-acute hypoglycemic study in high fat diet induced diabetic C57BL/6J mice demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) hypoglycemic effect over a period of 12 h and 24 h, respectively, with HPMC and pectin beads. A significant (p & 0.05) reduction in fasting and non-fasting blood glucose levels, reduction in fasting plasma insulin level and a significant improvement in glucose tolerance were observed in animals treated with formulations. The developed beads were suitable carriers for improving the systemic absorption of gliclazide and maintaining reduced blood glucose levels.

Topics: Alginates; Animals; Blood Glucose; Calcium Carbonate; Drug Carriers; Gastrointestinal Tract; Gelatin; Gliclazide; Glucose Tolerance Test; Glucuronic Acid; Hexuronic Acids; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents; Hypromellose Derivatives; Male; Methylcellulose; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Obesity; Particle Size; Pectins

The pomace of Averrhoa carambola (carambola) was found to possess a high level of insoluble fibre-rich fractions (FRFs) including insoluble dietary fibre, alcohol-insoluble solid, and water-insoluble solid (46.0-58.2 g/100 g of pomace). These FRFs were mainly composed of pectic substances and hemicellulose. The physicochemical properties of these FRFs (e.g., water-holding capacities, swelling properties, and cation-exchange capacities) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of cellulose. The apparent abilities of these FRFs to adsorb glucose and reduce amylase activity implied that they might help control postprandial serum glucose. These results recommended the consumption and application of the insoluble FRFs as low-calorie bulk ingredients in fibre enrichment. Further investigations on the in vivo hypoglycemic effect and other physiological effects of these FRFs using animal-feeding experiments are underway.

Topics: Adsorption; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Dietary Fiber; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Magnoliopsida; Pectins; Phytotherapy; Polysaccharides; Solubility

Experiments were carried out in vitro with three viscous polysaccharides (guar gum, pectin, and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) of similar initial viscosity submitted to conditions that mimic events occurring in the stomach and duodenum, and their viscosity in these situations was compared to their actions on postprandial hyperglycemia in normal human subjects. Guar gum showed greater viscosity than the other gums during acidification and/or alkalinization and also showed larger effects on plasma glucose levels (35% reduction in maximum rise in plasma glucose) and on the total area under the curve of plasma glucose (control: 20,314 +/- 1007 mg dl-1 180 min-1 vs guar gum: 18,277 +/- 699 mg dl-1 180 min-1, P < 0.01). Pectin, which showed a marked reduction in viscosity at 37 degrees C and after events mimicking those that occur in the stomach and duodenum, did not have a significant effect on postprandial hyperglycemia. The performance of viscosity and the glycemia response to CMC were at an intermediate level between guar gum and pectin. In conclusion, these data suggest that temperature, the process of acidification, alkalinization and exposure to intestinal ions induce different viscosity changes in gums having similar initial viscosity, establishing a direct relationship between a minor decrease of gum viscosity in vitro and a reduction of postprandial hyperglycemia.

Topics: Adult; Antidiarrheals; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; Cathartics; Female; Galactans; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Male; Mannans; Pectins; Plant Gums; Polysaccharides; Postprandial Period; Viscosity

Nineteen patients suffering from chemical diabetes either with (group A, ten cases) or without (group B, nine cases) reactive hypoglycaemia were included in the study and compared with seven control (group C). The following variables were measured over a 5 hour period during a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): (i) blood glucose by continuous monitoring; (ii) plasma insulin and glucagon levels by radioimmunoassay. Furthermore, in five diabetics of group A, the data from the standard OGTT were compared with those from a pectin-supplemented OGTT (9 g per square meter of body surface). Although the insulin response was similar glucagon levels were significantly higher (45.1 +/- 11.8 pmol/l) (p less than 0.01) in group B than in group A (9.6 +/- 1.3) and C (8.1 +/- 1.4 at 30 minutes). The high glucagon levels noted in group B may explain the absence of reactive hypoglycaemia. The pectin supplementation improved the OGTT pattern by blunting the blood glucose peak (p less than 0.05), and avoiding the reactive hypoglycaemia (p less than 0.01). The addition of pectin did not produce any significant effect on the insulin response while a significant increase in glucagon concentrations (p less than 0.05) was observed beyond the 150th minute. Therefore, the data suggest that pectin may improve the OGTT pattern by increasing the glucagon response in the late period of the test. The development of postprandial reactive hypoglycaemia seldom coincides with a plasma glucagon peak, while the absence of reactive hypoglycaemia tends to be associated with high levels of glucagon, as is the case in overt diabetes mellitus.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Blood Glucose; Diabetes Mellitus; Female; Glucagon; Glucose Tolerance Test; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemia; Male; Middle Aged; Pectins