Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T12:56:12.797Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of the daily intake of inulin on fasting lipid, insulin and glucose concentrations in middle-aged men and women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Kim G. Jackson ,
Gary R. J. Taylor ,
Anna M. Clohessy  and
Christine M. Williams
Kim G. Jackson*
Affiliation:
Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK
Gary R. J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK
Anna M. Clohessy
Affiliation:
Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK
Christine M. Williams
Affiliation:
Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Kim Jackson, fax +44 (0) 118 9310080, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The present study was carried out to examine the effect of the daily intake of 10 g inulin on fasting blood lipid, glucose and insulin levels in healthy middle-aged men and women with moderately raised total plasma cholesterol (TC) and triacylglycerol (TAG) levels. This study was a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled parallel study in which fifty-four middle-aged subjects received either inulin or placebo for a period of 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected before the supplementation period (baseline samples 1 and 2, separated by 1 week) and at weeks 4 and 8, with a follow-up at week 12. Compared with baseline values, insulin concentrations were significantly lower at 4 weeks (P < 0·01) in the inulin group. There was a trend for TAG values, compared with baseline, to be lower in the inulin group at 8 weeks (P < 0·08) returning to baseline concentrations at week 12. On comparison of the inulin and placebo groups, the fasting TAG responses over the 8-week test period were shown to be significantly different (P < 0·05, repeated measures ANOVA), which was largely due to lower plasma TAG levels in the inulin group at week 8. The percentage change in TAG levels in the inulin group during the 8-week study was shown to correlate with the initial TAG level of the subjects (rs −0·499, P = 0·004). We therefore conclude that the daily addition of 10 g inulin to the diet significantly reduced fasting insulin concentrations during the 8-week test period and resulted in lower plasma TAG levels, particularly in subjects in whom fasting TAG levels were greater than 1·5 mmol/l. These data support findings from animal studies that fructans influence the formation and/or degradation of TAG-rich lipoprotein particles, and the insulin data are also consistent with recent studies showing attenuation of insulin levels in fructan-treated rats.

Keywords

FructansInulinTriacylglycerolInsulin
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 82 , Issue 1 , July 1999 , pp. 23 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Canzi, E, Brighenti, FB, Casiraghi, MC, Del Puppo, E & Ferrari, A (1995) Prolonged consumption of inulin in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals: effects on intestinal ecosystem, bowel habits and lipid metabolism. In COST 92, Workshop. Dietary Fibre and Fermentation in the Colon, Helsinki, pp. 280–284. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.Google Scholar
Davidson, MH, Synecki, C, Maki, KC & Drennen, KB (1998) Effects of dietary inulin in serum lipids in men and women with hypercholesterolaemia. Nutrition Research 3, 503–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Demigné, C, Morand, C, Levrat, M-A, Besson, C, Moundras, C & Rémésey, C (1995) Effect of propionate on fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis and on acetate metabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes. British Journal of Nutrition 74, 209–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delzenne, NM & Kok, N (1998) Effect of non-digestible fermentable carbohydrates on hepatic fatty acid metabolism. Biochemical Society Transactions 26, 228–230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delzenne, NM, Kok, N, Fiordaliso, M-F, Deboyser, DM, Goethals, FM & Roberfroid, RM (1993) Dietary fructo-oligosaccharides modify lipid metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 57, 820S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dysseler, P & Hoffem, D (1995) Inulin, an alternative dietary fibre. Properties and quantitative analysis. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 49, S145–S152.Google ScholarPubMed
Friedewald, WT, Levy, RI & Fredrickson, DS (1972) Estimation of the concentration of LDL cholesterol in plasma, without the use of the preparative ultracentrifuge. Clinical Chemistry 18, 499–502.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gibson, GR, Beatty, ER, Wang, X & Cummings, JH (1995) Selective stimulation of bifidobacteria in the human colon by oligofructose and inulin. Gastroenterology 108, 975–982.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gibson, GR & McCartney, AL (1998) Modification of gut flora by dietary means. Biochemical Society Transactions 26, 222–228.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hidaka, H, Tashiro, Y & Eida, T (1991) Proliferation of bifidobacteria by oligosaccharides and their useful effect on human health. Bifidobacteria Microflora 10, 65–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kok, NN, Morgan, LM, Williams, CM, Roberfroid, MB, Thissen, J-P & Delzenne, NM (1998) Insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and insulin-like growth factor 1 as putative mediators of the hypolipidemic effect of oligofructose in rats. Journal of Nutrition 128, 1099–1103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luo, J, Rizkalla, SW, Alamowitch, C, Boussairi, A, Blayo, A, Barry, J-L, Laffitte, A, Guyon, F, Bornet, FRJ & Slama, G (1996) Chronic consumption of short-chain fructooligosaccharides by healthy subjects decreased basal hepatic glucose production but had no effect on insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 63, 939–945.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McNamara, JR, Huang, C, Massov, T, Leary, ET, Warnick, GR, Rubins, HB, Robins, SJ & Schaefer, EJ (1994) Modification of the Dextran-Mg2+ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol precipitation method for use with previously frozen plasma. Clinical Chemistry 40, 233–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pedersen, A, Sandström, B & van Amelsvoort, JMM (1997) The effect of ingestion of inulin on blood lipids and gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy females. British Journal of Nutrition 78, 215–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberfroid, M (1993) Dietary fiber, inulin and oligofructose: a review comparing their physiological effects. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 33, 102–148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rumessen, JJ, Bode, S, Hamberg, O & Gudmand-Hoyer, E (1990) Fructans of the Jerusalem artichokes: intestinal transport, absorption, fermentation, and influence on blood glucose, insulin, and C-peptide responses in healthy subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52, 675–681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yamashita, K, Kawai, K & Itakura, M (1984) Effects of fructo-oligosaccharides on blood glucose and serum lipids in diabetic subjects. Nutrition Research 4, 961–966.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Loo, J, Coussement, P, de Leenheer, L, Hoebregs, H & Smits, G (1995) On the presence of inulin and oligofructose as natural ingredients in the Western diet. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 35, 525–552.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zilversmit, DB (1995) Atherogenic nature of triglycerides, postprandial lipaemia and triglyceride rich remnant lipoproteins. Clinical Chemistry 41, 153–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar