Snacking on bars containing plant sterols and glucomannan could
improve cholesterol levels of both diabetic and non-diabetics, but had
no effect on glucose control, reports a Canadian study. Plant sterols
are known to reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
by stopping absorption in the gut. The soluble fibre glucomannan has
been reported to also be cholesterol lowering and could improve
glycaemic control. The new study, published in the April issue of the
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 60, pp. 529-537), reports
the effects of a granola snack bars formulated with plant sterols and/or
glucomannan on cholesterol levels and measures of glycaemic control for
13 diabetic and 16 non-diabetic subjects. ?Supplementation of
glucomannan combined with plant sterols reduced plasma total cholesterol
concentrations compared to control,? reported corresponding author
Peter Jones from McGill University, Canada. The researchers measured a
decrease of almost 12 per cent in the total cholesterol level from the
start of the trial for the glucomannan supplement, and a fall of over 17
per cent for the combination supplement. No difference between
diabetics and non-diabetics was observed. ?The cholesterol lowering by
the combination of plant sterols and glucomannan may involved a
reduction in both cholesterol absorption and synthesis,? proposed Jones
and colleagues. Plant sterols are known to suppress intestinal
cholesterol absorption. Glucomannan has been proposed inhibit the
after-meal peak in insulin which would result in a decrease in
cholesterol biosynthesis. The scientists noted that, contrary to their
expectations, there no changes in glycaemic control markers, despite
previous reports reporting an association in type-2 diabetics, a
disagreement that may be due to the difference in doses. ?Given both the
possible intestinal side effects and unpalatable texture produced by
glucomannan, dosage of glucomannan may play an important role in the
acceptance of subjects,? concluded the researchers.
Category: Productos
Source: NutraIngredients