REPLACING STARCH WITH SUCROSE IN A HIGH GLYCEMIC INDEX BREAKFAST CEREAL LOWERS GLYCEMIC AND INSULIN RESPONSES

Objective: To test the hypothesis that replacing starch with sugar in a processed breakfast cereal that has a high glycaemic index could sig nificantly decrease glycaemic and insulin responses. Design: Subjects consumed in random order three equi-carbohydrate meals based on a popu lar puffed rice cereal containing three levels of sucrose (0, 21 and 4 3 g). Postprandial glucose and insulin responses were compared using t he incremental area under the curve (AUC). Subjects: Twelve healthy vo lunteers (5 males and 7 females) with normal glucose tolerance drawn f rom the university community, mean age 23 years (range: 20 to 27 years ), mean body mass index 22.6kg/m(2) (range: 18.6 to 31.2kg/m(2)). Resu lts: Glycaemia was significantly lower after the meal containing the h ighest amount of sugar (glucose AUC 101.7 +/- 14.0 mmo/l.120 min) comp ared with the non-sweetened cereal (155.5 +/- 18.0mmol/l.120min, P < 0 .01). There was a significant inverse correlation between the amount o f sucrose incorporated and the degree of glycaemia (analysis of covari ance coefficient = -1.25, P = 0.00). Similarly, the plasma insulin res ponse was significantly lower after the highest sugar meal (insulin AU C 2267 +/- 346 mu U/ml.120min) compared with the meal without sugar (3 505 +/- 365 mu U/m1.120 min, P < 0.01). Conclusions: We found a signif icant reduction in glycaemic and insulin responses when sugar replaced the rapidly digested starch in a processed breakfast cereal, i.e. the opposite of what is commonly believed. Thus sweetened breakfast cerea ls may not compromise glycaemic control more so than the unsweetened c ounterpart.