Noodles made from high amylose wheat flour attenuate postprandial glycaemia in healthy adults

Previous research has not considered the effect of high amylose wheat noodles on postprandial glycaemia. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of consumption of high amylose noodles on postprandial glycaemia over 2-h periods by monitoring changes in blood glucose concentration and calculating the total area under the blood glucose concentration curve. Twelve healthy young adults were recruited to a repeated measure randomised, single-blinded crossover trial to compare the effect of consuming noodles (180 g) containing 15%, 20% and 45% amylose on postprandial glycaemia. Fasting blood glucose concentrations were taken via finger-prick blood samples. Postprandial blood glucose concentrations were taken at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min. Subjects consuming high amylose noodles made with flour containing 45% amylose had significantly lower blood glucose concentration at 15, 30 and 45 min (5.5 ± 0.11, 6.1 ± 0.11 and 5.6 ± 0.11 mmol/L; p = 0.01) compared to subjects consuming low amylose noodles with 15% amylose (5.8 ± 0.12, 6.6 ± 0.12 and 5.9 ± 0.12 mmol/L). The total area under the blood glucose concentration curve after consumption of high amylose noodles with 45% amylose was 640.4 ± 9.49 mmol/L/min, 3.4% lower than consumption of low amylose noodles with 15% amylose (662.9 ± 9.49 mmol/L/min), p = 0.021. Noodles made from high amylose wheat flour attenuate postprandial glycaemia in healthy young adults, as characterised by the significantly lower blood glucose concentration and a 3.4% reduction in glycaemic response

Measurement of color, gloss, and translucency of white salted noodles: Effects of water addition and vacuum mixing

Sensory evaluation showed panelists could detect small differences in gloss and translucency in boiled white salted noodles (WSN) but sensory evaluation requires significant resources. Methods for the measurement of noodle gloss and translucency in boiled WSN were developed and the effects of hardness, protein, water addition, and vacuum mixing on these visual sensory characteristics and color (as measured by CIE L *, a *, and b *) were investigated. Noodles derived from hard wheats at low flour protein contents were more translucent than noodles from soft wheat flour at low protein. This trend changed at the highest flour protein contents observed. Translucency of the soft wheat noodles increased to levels equal to or exceeding the translucency of high protein hard wheat noodles. Translucency of all noodle varieties increased as flour protein increased. CIE L * decreased, a * increased, and b * increased when water addition to dough increased from 30 to 35%, but there was no further effect on color when water addition was increased to >35% for raw soft and hard WSN. Boiled noodle translucency was significantly increased when water addition to the dough was increased from 35 to 38% and when noodles made from soft wheat flour were mixed under vacuum. Vacuum mixing significantly increased gloss of boiled noodles made from soft wheat flours

Effects of whole grain food consumption in older Australian women

The effects of whole grain food consumption on energy and fiber intake and on blood pressure were investigated in a cohort study of women 70-80 years of age who volunteered to participate in a dietary protein intervention study. Intention-to-treat analysis was used. Subjects were classified into three whole grain food consumption groups using tertile cut-off points: <47 g/day (low), 47-83 g/day (medium), and >83 g/day (high). At baseline, subjects with high and medium whole grain consumption had significantly lower systolic blood pressure (10 and 9 mmHg lower, respectively [P < 0.01]) compared with subjects with low whole grain consumption. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped in all groups over the 1 year study period (baseline - year one) (P < 0.05); however, whole grain consumption was not related to systolic or diastolic pressure at year one. Consumption of whole grains and cereals, in general, was positively correlated with both energy and fiber intake without corresponding increases in body weight

The effects of a two-year randomized, controlled trial of whey protein supplementation on bone structure, IGF-1, and urinary calcium excretion in older postmenopausal women

The effects of dietary protein on bone structure and metabolism have been controversial, with evidence for and against beneficial effects. Because no long‐term randomized, controlled studies have been performed, a two‐year study of protein supplementation in 219 healthy ambulant women aged 70 to 80 years was undertaken. Participants were randomized to either a high‐protein drink containing 30 g of whey protein (n  = 109) or a placebo drink identical in energy content, appearance, and taste containing 2.1 g of protein (n  = 110). Both drinks provided 600 mg of calcium. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometric (DXA) hip areal bone mineral density (aBMD), 24‐hour urinary calcium excretion, and serum insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) were measured at baseline and at 1 and 2 years. Quantitative computed tomographic (QCT) hip volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) and a femoral neck engineering strength analysis were undertaken at baseline and at 2 years. Baseline average protein intake was 1.1 g/kg of body weight per day. There was a significant decrease in hip DXA aBMD and QCT vBMD over 2 years with no between‐group differences. Femoral neck strength was unchanged in either group over time. The 24‐hour urinary calcium excretion increased significantly from baseline in both groups at 1 year but returned to baseline in the placebo group at 2 years, at which time the protein group had a marginally higher value. Compared with the placebo group, the protein group had significantly higher serum IGF‐1 level at 1 and 2 years (7.3% to 8.0%, p  < .05). Our study showed that in protein‐replete healthy ambulant women, 30 g of extra protein increased IGF‐1 but did not have beneficial or deleterious effects on bone mass or strength. The effect of protein supplementation in populations with low dietary protein intake requires urgent attention

L-cysteine suppresses ghrelin and reduces appetite in rodents and humans

BACKGROUND: High-protein diets promote weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance, but are difficult to adhere to. The mechanisms by which protein exerts these effects remain unclear. However, the amino acids produced by protein digestion may have a role in driving protein-induced satiety. METHODS: We tested the effects of a range of amino acids on food intake in rodents and identified l-cysteine as the most anorexigenic. Using rodents we further studied the effect of l-cysteine on food intake, behaviour and energy expenditure. We proceeded to investigate its effect on neuronal activation in the hypothalamus and brainstem before investigating its effect on gastric emptying and gut hormone release. The effect of l-cysteine on appetite scores and gut hormone release was then investigated in humans. RESULTS: l-Cysteine dose-dependently decreased food intake in both rats and mice following oral gavage and intraperitoneal administration. This effect did not appear to be secondary to behavioural or aversive side effects. l-Cysteine increased neuronal activation in the area postrema and delayed gastric emptying. It suppressed plasma acyl ghrelin levels and did not reduce food intake in transgenic ghrelin-overexpressing mice. Repeated l-cysteine administration decreased food intake in rats and obese mice. l-Cysteine reduced hunger and plasma acyl ghrelin levels in humans. CONCLUSIONS: Further work is required to determine the chronic effect of l-cysteine in rodents and humans on appetite and body weight, and whether l-cysteine contributes towards protein-induced satiety

Under-Reporting of energy intake in elderly Australian women is associated with a higher body mass index

Design: Dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day weighed food record. Protein intake was validated by 24-hour urinary nitrogen. To examine under-reporting, participants were grouped according to their energy intake and compared to the Goldberg cut-off equation. Logistic regression was performed to assess the influence of body mass index (BMI) and social-demographic factors on under-reporting. Setting: Community dwelling elderly women from Perth, Western Australia. Participants: 217 elderly women aged 70–80 years. Results: Under-reporters had a higher physical activity level (p<0.001) compared with acceptable-reporters. The under-reporters also had a higher body weight (p=0.006), body mass index (BMI) (p=0.001), waist (p=0.011), hip circumference (p<0.001), whole body fat mass (p<0.001) and percentage body fat (p<0.001) than acceptable-reporters. Under-reporters had a significantly lower intakes of protein, fat, carbohydrate and alcohol (p<0.001) and fewer reported food items, compared with acceptable reporters. However, 24-hour urinary nitrogen was only marginally different between the two groups (p=0.053). Participants with a higher BMI were more likely to under-report their energy intake (BMI=25–29.9: odds ratio=2.98[95% CI=1.46–6.09]; BMI≥30: 5.84[2.41–14.14]). Conclusion: Under-reporting energy intake in elderly women was associated with a higher BMI, body fat and higher self-reported physical activity levels. A higher BMI (≥25) appears to be most significant factor in determining if elderly women will underreport their food intake and may be related to body image. These results have implications for undertaking surveys of food intake in elderly women

The influences of genotype, environment, and genotype x environment interaction on wheat quality

© CSIRO 2008Knowledge of the relative contributions of genotype (G), environment (E), and genotype and environment interaction (G × E) effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality leads to more effective selection in breeding programs and segregation of more uniform parcels of grain better suited to the needs of customers. Their effects on wheat quality were reviewed using papers obtained from 4 major international databases. The literature is dominated by research from North America, with lesser contributions from Europe, Australia, and the rest of the world. Use of analysis of variance to partition sources of variation due to G, E, and G × E was the most common approach but, more recently, residual maximum likelihood methods that can accommodate large, but unbalanced, datasets have been used. In North America and Europe, the relative contributions of G, E, and G × E varied across studies, but traits associated with protein content were more influenced by E and G × E than those associated with protein quality, dough rheology and starch characteristics, where G effects were more important. Variation in the relative contributions of G, E, and G × E was highly dependent on the G and E sampled. The Australian studies were characterised by a relative lack of G × E, with G and E rankings being similar across the country for the protein quality, dough rheology, and starch quality traits examined in detail. This suggests that, in Australia, more efficient testing of potential cultivars will be possible for these traits, especially when the underlying variation at the gene level is known, and that efficiencies in the design and conduct of trial systems and quality evaluations could be achieved by testing samples from targetted environments without affecting genetic gain and overall crop quality