14 research outputs found

    A natural mutation in Pisum sativum L. (pea) alters starch assembly and improves glucose homeostasis in humans

    Get PDF
    Elevated postprandial glucose (PPG) is a significant risk factor for non-communicable diseases globally. Currently, there is a limited understanding of how starch structures within a carbohydrate-rich food matrix interact with the gut luminal environment to control PPG. Here, we use pea seeds (Pisum sativum) and pea flour, derived from two near-identical pea genotypes (BC1/19RR and BC1/19rr) differing primarily in the type of starch accumulated, to explore the contribution of starch structure, food matrix and intestinal environment to PPG. Using stable isotope 13C-labelled pea seeds, coupled with synchronous gastric, duodenal and plasma sampling in vivo, we demonstrate that maintenance of cell structure and changes in starch morphology are closely related to lower glucose availability in the small intestine, resulting in acutely lower PPG and promotion of changes in the gut bacterial composition associated with long-term metabolic health improvements

    Conformity on moral, social conventional, and decency issues in the United Kingdom and Kuwait

    No full text
    Theories in moral psychology have debated whether people’s moral judgments are influenced by social processes, such as others’ opinions, arguments, and actions. This research investigated conformity with moral, social-conventional, and decency issues in adults from the United Kingdom (Study 1, N = 50) and Kuwait (Study 2, N = 164). Participants first had to make individual judgments regarding moral, social-conventional, and decency transgressions. Using a conformity paradigm with low social presence, five to ten days afterwards participants were presented with the judgments of a more permissive majority. British participants conformed to the majority for decency, and to a lesser extent moral, transgressions. Kuwaiti participants conformed across domains. Furthermore, females in Kuwait conformed more than males. These findings are discussed with reference to the influence of cultural, moral and gender norms on conformity. Furthermore, we consider the contributions of these findings in light of theories of moral judgment and conformity

    Impact of chickpea hummus on postprandial blood glucose, insulin and gut hormones in healthy humans combined with mechanistic studies of food structure, rheology and digestion kinetics

    No full text
    Slowing the rate of carbohydrate digestion leads to low postprandial glucose and insulin responses, which are associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. There is increasing evidence that food structure plays a crucial role in influencing the bioaccessibility and digestion kinetics of macronutrients. The aims of this study were to compare the effects of two hummus meals, with different degrees of cell wall integrity, on postprandial metabolic responses in relation to the microstructural and rheological characteristics of the meals. A randomised crossover trial in 15 healthy participants was designed to compare the acute effect of 27 g of starch, provided as hummus made from either intact chickpea cells (ICC) or ruptured chickpea cells (RCC), on postprandial metabolic responses. In vitro starch digestibility, microstructural and rheological experiments were also conducted to evaluate differences between the two chickpea hummus meals. Blood insulin and GIP concentrations were significantly lower (P &lt; 0.02, P &lt; 0.03) after the consumption of the ICC meal than the meal containing RCC. In vitro starch digestion for 90 min was slower in ICC than in RCC. Microscopic examination of hummus samples digested in vitro for 90 min revealed more intact chickpea cells in ICC compared to the RCC sample. Rheological experiments showed that fracture for ICC hummus samples occurred at smaller strains compared to RCC samples. However, the storage modulus for ICC was higher than RCC, which may be explained by the presence of intact cells in ICC. Food structure can affect the rate and extent of starch bioaccessibility and digestion and may explain the difference in the time course of metabolic responses between meals. The rheological properties were measured on the two types of meals before ingestion, showing significant differences that may point to different breakdown mechanisms during subsequent digestion. This trial was registered at clinicaltrial.gov as NCT03424187.</p
    corecore