Abstract
The consumption of blueberries, as well as the phenolic compounds they contain, may alter metabolic processes related to type 2 diabetes. The study investigated the effects of adding 140 g of blueberries to a higher-carbohydrate breakfast meal on postprandial glucose metabolism, gastrointestinal hormone response, and perceived appetite. As part of a randomized crossover design study, 17 healthy adults consumed a standardized higher-carbohydrate breakfast along with 2 treatments: (1) 140 g (1 cup) of whole blueberries and (2) a placebo gel (matched for calories, sugars, and fiber of the whole blueberries). Each subject participated in two 2-h meal tests on separate visits ≥8 days apart. Venous blood samples and perceived appetite ratings using visual analog scales were obtained prior to and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after consuming the breakfast meals. Results show that glucose metabolism, several gastrointestinal hormones, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), peptide YY (PYY) concentrations and perceived appetite did not change significantly with blueberry consumption. However, pancreatic polypeptide (PP) concentrations were statistically significantly higher (p = 0.0367), and the concentrations were higher during 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after consumption of the blueberry breakfast meal than the placebo breakfast meal. Additional research is needed to determine whether blueberries and other flavonoid-rich foods reduce type 2 diabetes risk by modifying gastrointestinal hormones and perceived appetite.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem
Healthy adults were selected as study participants as the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of flavonoids in blueberries may be affected by disease states such as type diabetes
We found that the blueberry breakfast meal significantly increased postprandial PP concentrations more than the placebo breakfast meal, though the gastrointestinal hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), and peptide YY (PYY), did not significantly change
Summary
Type 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem. Recent reports have indicated that close to 451 million people around the world are living with diabetes, primarily (90%) typeNutrients 2019, 11, 202; doi:10.3390/nu11010202 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrientsNutrients 2019, 11, 202 diabetes [1]. Type 2 diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder with a vast number of cases, which in turn has an impact on world health. At its simplest, it is characterized by hyperglycemia, due to hyposecretion of insulin from beta cells of the pancreas and/or reduced signaling at the insulin receptor. In reality there are more complicated causes involving genetics, obesity, over-eating and low levels of physical activity. Regardless, the failure to adequately control elevated blood glucose levels leads to serious complications such as nephropathy and retinopathy [2,3]. A meta-analysis of over 100 studies has shown that type 2 diabetes doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease incidence and increases overall mortality, making type 2 diabetes a leading cause of death [4]
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