Indice Glicemico En Galletas

Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases (2008) 18, 602e605
available at www.sciencedirect.com

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/nmcd

The glycemic index of bread and biscuits is
markedly reduced by the addition of a proprietary
fiber mixture to the ingredients
Franca Marangoni a,b,*, Andrea Poli a,b
a
b

Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan,Milan, Italy
Nutrition Foundation of Italy, Viale Tunisia 38, 20124 Milan, Italy

Received 4 May 2007; received in revised form 18 October 2007; accepted 16 November 2007

KEYWORDS
Glycemic index;
Glycemia;
Fiber;
Bread

Abstract Background and aim: Low glycemic index (GI) foods are associated with improved
prevention and control of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (e.g. diabetes andmyocardial
infarction), even if the impact of their consumption within mixed meals is difficult to predict.
Since the availability of wheat based products maintaining taste and texture of traditional
ones, but with a low GI, is of relevant nutritional interest, the aim of this study was to assess
the effects of a specific proprietary fiber mix, added to the wheat flour used for biscuits and
breadpreparation, on their GI.
Methods and results: Fifteen healthy non-diabetic volunteers ate on different days a portion
equivalent to 75 g of available carbohydrates, of fiber enriched bread, traditional bread,
fiber enriched biscuits and traditional biscuits, or a solution of 75 g of glucose in water. The
glycemic index of each product was calculated by relating the area under their glycemiccurve
to that of glucose. The areas under the glycemic curves of fiber enriched bread and biscuits
were lower than those obtained with the equivalent control food. Consequently, a marked reduction of their GI of 21% and 41% for bread and biscuits, respectively, was observed.
Conclusion: The fiber mix added to the flour used in the preparation of biscuits and bread
markedly reduces their GI. Asimilar effect could be expected in other oven-baked foods
produced using the same fiber supplementation.
ª 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction

* Corresponding author. Nutrition Foundation of Italy, Viale Tunisia
38, 20124 Milan, Italy. Tel.: þ39 2 76006271; fax: þ39 2 76003514.
E-mail address: franca.marangoni@unimi.it (F. Marangoni).

Data from observational and clinicalstudies suggest that
low glycemic index (GI) foods have a more favorable health
profile than high GI foods [1e3]. Low GI food intake, in particular, is associated with an improved prevention and

0939-4753/$ - see front matter ª 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2007.11.003

Low glycemic index, bread and biscuits
control of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases(e.g. diabetes and myocardial infarction) [4,5]. Even if the glycemic
index of mixed meals can be unpredictable, on the basis of
the GI of each component, it has been suggested that the
whole diet GI is related to the GI of its components [6]. In
fact, diets with a high mean GI are associated with an increased risk of developing overweight and obesity, impaired
lipid metabolism, glucoseintolerance and cardiovascular
diseases [7,8]. The plasma levels of some inflammatory
markers, like C reactive protein (CRP), whose plasma levels
have been correlated with cardiovascular risk, are also increased in association with high GI diet consumption [9,10].
The lowering effect of fiber addition on the GI of wheat
based products has already been reported [11,12], but most
of the beneficialeffects mainly concern high fiber whole
grain foodstuffs, very different from the white refined corresponding items. The availability of wheat based products
(e.g. bread and biscuits) maintaining taste and texture of
traditional ones, but with a low GI, could thus be of relevant
nutritional and practical interest, especially for diabetic patients or subjects at a high cardiovascular risk [13]. The...