The glycaemic response of freshly cooked, chilled and reheated pasta during the post prandial phase

Abstract

The incidence of diabetes mellitus is continuing to increase and is predicted to effect 439 million adults worldwide by 2030 (Shaw et al. 2010). The disease and its associated complications are a growing epidemic and there is a need for dietary intervention, for both management and prevention of the disease. The majority of the most popular staple sources of carbohydrates tend to be found in the upper glycaemic index range, rapidly increasing blood glucose levels post ingestion, resulting in poor glycaemic control. Recent research suggests these popular everyday carbohydrates can be readily made "healthier" via the way they are cooked and prepared, related to the consumption of resistant starch and its ability to lower blood glucose during the post prandial period. This discovery has the potential to target poor glycaemic control and alleviate the risk of diabetes to the population. The aim of the current study was to investigate and compare the postprandial glycaemic effects of freshly cooked, chilled overnight and chilled and reheated pasta. Subjects consumed 75g of pasta in a simple tomato sauce, on the first day the pasta was freshly cooked, the second day it had been chilled overnight and the final day it was reheated after being chilled over two nights. Blood glucose was measured at baseline and for 2 hours post prandial at 15, 30, 45, 75 and 120 minutes. Salivary glucose samples were also taken to examine the potential replacement of blood sampling. Mean blood glucose increased greater initially at 15 minutes following ingestion of the chilled and reheated pasta, however appeared lower during the remainder of the post prandial phase than the freshly cooked and chilled pasta. Reflecting the ability of resistant starch to reduce blood glucose during the post prandial phase. However, there was no significant difference between the three pastas. Salivary glucose also did not appear to mirror blood glucose samples, suggesting it may not be a suitable replacement for blood sampling. However, the current study examined non-diabetic individuals, evidence suggests correlation is only found between salivary and blood glucose in diabetics. Further research is required on a larger scale to critically assess pasta that has been chilled and reheated as a "healthier" alternative for glycaemic control. Other starches also need to be analysed to examine if they may have the same potential. Future analysis within this field may be able to develop a dietary intervention capable of tackling the burden of diabetes. Key Words blood glucose, glycaemic control, salivary glucose, resistant starch, pasta