Parboiled Brown Rice Product Reduces Postprandial Plasma Glucose Response in Men

Abstract

A staple crop such as rice provides an ideal starch source for creating a functional starch ingredient. Functional starch fractions can act as a functional ingredient by controlling glucose and insulin levels with application for glucose control for health in addition diabetes mellitus. The objective of this human study was to investigate the effect of a parboiled brown rice flour pudding on postprandial plasma glucose and insulin levels. Wells brown rice was parboiled at 120°C for 20 min and ground into flour, and in vitro nutritional starch fractions were measured. A randomized-crossover design was used to observe plasma glucose and insulin responses from 14 healthy, male subjects. Compared with the control, significant reductions after consumption of parboiled brown rice pudding in mean glucose levels at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 minutes were observed (P < 0.05). Mean glucose incremental Area Under the Curve (iAUC) were also significantly lower (3795 ± 602 mg/dL) than the control solution (5880 ± 658mg/dL) (P<0.05). Plasma insulin mean incremental response reduced also from 3066 ± 525 μU/L iAUC to 2219 ± 715 μU/L iAUC of the control and rice pudding treatments, respectively. Results suggest optimal parboiling of brown rice provided in a flour application could assist in managing plasma glucose levels for individuals, and with additional research functional starch fractions may help in the prevention of diabetes and obesity.