The Effects of Escalating Quantities of Salvia hispanica L. (Salba) on Postprandial Glycemia and Appetite in Healthy Individuals

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of escalating quantities of the whole grain Salvia hispanica L. (Salba) on postprandial glycemia and appetite.Methods: Using an acute randomized controlled design, 12 healthy individuals (7M;5F;BMI 22.3±2.8 kg/m2) received either 0, 7, 15 or 24 g of Salba baked into white bread. The control (0g) was repeated twice. All meals contained 50 g of available carbohydrates. Thus, subjects consumed 5 different meals with at least 3 days in between visits. Fingerprick blood samples and ratings of satiety scores on a 100 mm visual analog scale were taken at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes post‐consumption.Results: There was a dose‐response reduction of postprandial glycemia with the highest and intermediate quantities of Salba resulting in an IAUC blood glucose reduction of 43% (p=0.0013) and 33% (p=0.0115), respectively. Only the intermediate dose resulted in a significant reduction in combined satiety score, with an average reduction of 47% compared to the two other experimental meals and controls at every time point after 15 minutes.Conclusions: Addition of the whole grain Salba to white bread lowers postprandial glycemia and appetite, and may be potentially cardioprotective. Thus, further research is warranted to assess the effects of Salba on long‐term reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, carbohydrate metabolism and control of body weight.Sponsor: Salba Inc, Toronto