AREPAS MADE FROM HIGH AMYLOSE CORN FLOUR PRODUCE FAVORABLY LOW GLUCOSE AND INSULIN RESPONSES IN HEALTHY HUMANS

The importance of the amylose: amylopectin ratio in the postprandial g lycemic and insulinemic responses to corn was studied in food products that might realistically be consumed. Healthy subjects were given tes t meals in the form of arepas made from ordinary (25% amylose) or high amylose (70% amylose) corn flour. The ordinary corn meal contained 45 g of potentially available starch. To exclude the possible influence of a lowered content of potentially available starch due to formation of resistant starch in the high amylose product, this product was eval uated at two levels and included either on the basis of potentially av ailable starch (45 g) of total starch (including resistant starch) (45 g, i.e., 29 g potentially available starch), respectively. The rate o f starch hydrolysis, measured in vitro employing a method based on che wing, was studied. In addition, the content of in vitro resistant star ch was analyzed in all products. The meals containing high amylose cor n flour produced lower areas under the glucose and insulin response cu rves (57 and 42% lower, respectively) than did the meals containing or dinary cornmeal. This could not be explained by a lower amount of pote ntially available starch. No differences were noted when subjects cons umed the two high amylose meals of arepas, despite 36% lower potential ly available starch in one of the meals. The rate of starch hydrolysis measured in vitro was slower in the high amylose corn products than i n the ordinary corn product. Resistant starch in the ordinary product was 3 g/100 g dry matter, vs. similar to 20 9/100 g dry matter in the high amylose products. We concluded that high amylose corn products ha ve a potential to promote favorably low metabolic responses and high r esistant starch contents.