Effects of meals with high soluble fibre, high amylose barley variant on glucose, insulin, satiety and thermic effect of food in healthy lean women

Objective: To examine the effect of barley flour (barley cultivar, Hordeum Vulgare var Himalaya 292) incorporated into breakfast and lunch compared with otherwise identical meals containing white wheat flour on the thermic effect of food (TEF), subsequent food intake and metabolic parameters. Design: Randomized single blinded crossover study. Setting: Outpatient setting. Subjects and methods: Fourteen healthy women consumed a test breakfast at 0700 h. Energy expenditure, respiratory quotient (RQ), appetite ratings using a visual analogue scale (VAS), insulin and glucose levels were measured before and after a test lunch at 1330 h. Food intake was recorded for the remainder of the day. Results: The TEF was 5% for both test lunches and meal type did not affect any variable measured by the VAS. There was an increase in post-prandial RQ above baseline (0.80) independent of treatment (0.88 and 0.90 for barley and wheat-containg meals, respectively, P < 0.001). Mean area under the glycaemic response curve (AUC) for wheat-containing meals was 4.68 +/- 1.67 mmol/l/h, 22% higher than for the barley-containing meals (3.67 +/- 1.91 mmol/l/h), P = 0.05. AUC of insulin in response to wheat-containing meals (78.1 +/- 35.3 mlU/l/h) was 32% greater than barley-containing meals (52.8 +/- 24.7 mU/l/h), P < 0.02. Ad libitum food intake over the next 10 h was reduced by 23% (9.6 vs 11.0MJ, P < 0.05) after the wheat-containing meals compared to the barley-containing glycaemic index meals. Conclusion: Inclusion of an ingredient containing increased soluble fibre and amylose did not reduce spontaneous food intake but rather was associated with higher subsequent energy intakes despite its reduced glycaemic and insulinemic effects.