Effects of juices enriched with xanthan and β-glucan on the glycemic response and satiety of healthy men

This study compared the effects of 3 palatable juices enriched with different polysaccharides with a control nonenriched juice on glucose and insulin responses as well as on appetite sensations and determined whether the polysaccharide-induced viscosity contributed to the effects of enriched juices on these variables. Using a randomized crossover design, 14 healthy male subjects consumed 4 juices: 3 juices were enriched with either xanthan gum, beta-glucan, or a mix of xanthan gum and beta-glucan, and the control juice had no added polysaccharides. Viscosity was measured at a shear rate of 30 s(-1), which represented an approximation of the viscosity in the gastrointestinal tract. One-sided tests were used in this study. Compared with the control juice, the juice supplemented with the mix of xanthan gum and beta-glucan and the juice enriched with beta-glucan alone led to a significant attenuation of the incremental peak of glucose (-0.8 mmol.L-1, p = 0.001; and -0.5 mmol.L-1, p = 0.03; respectively). However, no difference between juices was found for the incremental area under the curve for glucose, insulin, and appetite sensations. At 30 s(-1), only juices enriched with either the beta-glucan/xanthan mixture or beta-glucan alone yielded viscosity values higher than 0.1 Pa.s. These results highlight that the consumption of a palatable juice enriched with beta-glucan alone or in mixture with xanthan gum reduces the glucose peak response compared with a juice with no added polysaccharides. The viscosity at a shear rate of 30 s(-1) seems to be linked to this effect.