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Updated: May 31, 2026
08:13
Study of In Vivo Glucose Metabolism in High-fat Diet-fed Mice Using Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT)
Published on: January 7, 2018
Postmastication digestion factors influence glycemic variability in humans
Viren Ranawana1, Miriam E Clegg, Amir Shafat
1Functional Food Centre, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, United Kingdom.
Nutrition Research (New York, N.Y.)
|July 13, 2011
Summary
Smaller food particle size leads to faster gastric emptying and greater glycemic and insulin responses. Individual variations in these responses persist even when particle size is controlled, highlighting intrinsic factors influencing digestion.
Area of Science:
- Human physiology
- Nutritional science
- Metabolic studies
Background:
- Glycemic response (GR) and insulin response (IR) exhibit significant within- and between-individual variability.
- Factors influencing GR and IR are complex, involving both intrinsic and extrinsic elements.
- Standardizing food particle size is crucial for isolating other variables affecting digestion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if between-individual variations in GR, IR, and gastric emptying persist when food particle size is standardized.
- To determine the impact of ingested rice particle size on glycemic and insulin responses.
- To assess the effect of particle size on gastric emptying dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Volunteers consumed standardized large (>2000 μm) or small (500-1000 μm) rice particles on separate days after an overnight fast.
- Gastric emptying was measured for 240 minutes using the sodium [(13)C] acetate breath test.
- GR and IR were measured for 120 minutes from finger-prick blood samples.
Main Results:
- Smaller particles resulted in a significantly greater GR incremental area under the curve (IAUC) compared to larger particles.
- The standard deviation for IR IAUC was 140% greater for small particles versus large particles.
- Smaller particles led to significantly shorter gastric emptying latency, lag, and half-emptying times.
Conclusions:
- Ingesting smaller food particles accelerates gastric emptying and enhances glycemic and insulin responses.
- Significant between-individual variations in GR and IR occur even when particle size is controlled.
- Intrinsic physiological factors play a substantial role in individual digestive variability, independent of food particle size.
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