Abstract
Raisins are popular snacks with a favourable nutrient profile, being high in dietary fibre, polyphenols and a number of vitamins and minerals, in addition to being rich in fructose. In light of evidence demonstrating improvements in glycaemic control with moderate fructose intake and low-glycaemic index (GI) fruits, our aim was to determine the GI, insulin index (II) and postprandial responses to raisins in an acute feeding setting. A total of ten healthy participants (four male and six female) consumed breakfast study meals on four occasions over a 2- to 8-week period: meal 1: white bread (WB) (108g WB; 50g available carbohydrate) served as the control and was consumed on two separate occasions; meal 2: raisins (R50) (69g raisins; 50g available carbohydrate); and meal 3: raisins (R20) (one serving, 28g raisins; 20g available carbohydrate). Postprandial glucose and insulin were measured over a 2h period for the determination of GI, glycaemic load (GL) and II. The raisin meals, R50 and R20, resulted in significantly reduced postprandial glucose and insulin responses when compared with WB (P<0·05). Furthermore, raisins were determined to be low-GI, -GL and -II foods. The favourable effect of raisins on postprandial glycaemic response, their insulin-sparing effect and low GI combined with their other metabolic benefits may indicate that raisins are a healthy choice not only for the general population but also for individuals with diabetes or insulin resistance.
Highlights
Raisins are popular snacks with a favourable nutrient profile, being high in dietary fibre, polyphenols and a number of vitamins and minerals, in addition to being rich in fructose
The present study demonstrates that raisins are a low-glycaemic index (GI) and -insulin index fruit that provides a favourable postprandial glucose and insulin response
This, was followed by a sharp decline and an overall lower AUC for glucose when compared with white bread (WB) (P < 0·05), which is commonly observed with other fruits
Summary
Raisins are popular snacks with a favourable nutrient profile, being high in dietary fibre, polyphenols and a number of vitamins and minerals, in addition to being rich in fructose. In light of evidence demonstrating improvements in glycaemic control with moderate fructose intake and low-glycaemic index (GI) fruits, our aim was to determine the GI, insulin index (II) and postprandial responses to raisins in an acute feeding setting. While concerns have been raised that fructose may have adverse metabolic effects and promote weight gain, a recent meta-analysis[6] demonstrated that moderate intakes of fructose may improve glycaemic control, without harming cardiometabolic risk factors[6]. This is especially important in light of recent evidence demonstrating that low-GI fruits may improve glycaemic and cardiovascular markers, including HbA1c and blood pressure[7]. Given that raisins are the most commonly consumed dried fruit, are high in fructose and the controversy surrounding the cardiometabolic effects of fructose, we investigated the effect
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