Physical factors influencing the blood glucose response to different breads in type II diabetic patients

Blood glucose responses to test meals containing 75 g of different breads were compared in 103 type II diabetic patients under sulfonyl urea treatment. Nine breads differing in type of cereal, physical structure, and dietary fiber content were studied using pairwise intraindividual comparisons. It could be shown that the type of cereal and the fiber content had no significant influence upon the maximal or mean postprandial blood glucose increase. Coarse-grained breads, however, resulted in significantly lower blood glucose responses than breads that were finer grained or were produced from flour. Physical properties determining the access of intestinal hydrolytic enzymes to ingested carbohydrates seem to be major factors that influence postprandial blood glucose responses.