Glycemic, insulinemic, and breath hydrogen responses to pullulan in healthy humans

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the glycemic, insulinemic, and breath hydrogen responses of healthy adult humans to low–molecular weight pullulan (molecular weight = 6300). Subjects (n = 34) consumed 50 g of maltodextrin or low–molecular weight pullulan in a randomized, double-masked, crossover design. Plasma glucose and serum insulin responses were determined over 180 minutes, and breath hydrogen response was determined for 8 hours. Low–molecular weight pullulan did not improve glucose response, but a reduction ( P < .05) in serum insulin at 30, 60, and 90 minutes was noted. Peak insulin and area under the curve were reduced ( P < .05) by 23% and 20%, respectively. Breath hydrogen increased ( P < .05) at 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 hours. Although low–molecular weight pullulan does not impact glycemia per se, it may reduce insulin response, resulting in decreased insulin concentrations in healthy adult humans.