Effect of guar gum on gastric emptying of test meals of varying energy content in growing pigs

1. Existing information on whether the action of guar gum in decreasing postprandial blood glucose concentrations is due, at least in part, to a reduced rate of gastric emptying is conflicting, possibly because three types of test meals have been used. In order to test whether the type of test meal used influences the action of guar gum, these three types of meal were compared, either without or with guar gum, in growing pigs. The meals were: a high-energy meal (HEM), a low-energy milky drink (LEMD) and a glucose drink (GD). 2. Six pigs were prepared with a simple gastric cannula which allowed complete removal of the stomach contents just before or 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 h after feeding. 3. The three types of test meal without guar gum gave rise to very different postprandial profiles of gastric pH and of digesta and dry matter (DM) emptying from the stomach. 4. Addition of guar gum to the GD significantly raised gastric pH at 0.5 and 1 h after feeding but, when it was added to HEM, gastric pH was only significantly raised 4 h after feeding. No significant effect on gastric pH was seen when guar gum was added to LEMD. 5. Although addition of guar gum to GD had no significant effect on the emptying of digesta from the stomach, when added to HEM the rate of emptying of digesta was significantly reduced 1, 2 and 4 h after feeding. Addition of guar gum to LEMD only significantly increased the amount of digesta remaining in the stomach 2 h after feeding. 6. There was no significant effect on the emptying of DM from the stomach when guar gum was added to either HEM or LEMD. However, addition of guar gum to GD significantly reduced the mean rate of emptying of DM 0.5 h after feeding. 7. Addition of guar gum to either LEMD or GD had no significant effect on the DM concentration of the evacuated gastric digesta. However, addition of guar gum to HEM significantly lowered the DM concentration of the evacuated gastric digesta 1, 2 and 4 h after feeding. 8. It was concluded that differences in test meal composition and also in the methods used to measure gastric emptying could account for the discrepancies previously reported. The results suggest that although guar gum may reduce the rate of gastric emptying under some conditions, this is unlikely to be the only mechanism by which it acts.     

Effect of guar gum on gastric emptying in growing pigs

1. Simple gastric cannulas were surgically fitted to four pigs, initially of 30 kg live weight, to examine the effects of guar gum on gastric emptying. 2. Four semi-purified high-fat diets based on starch, casein, soya-bean oil and tallow were given to each pig. They contained 0 (control), 20, 40 or 60 g powdered guar gum/kg diet. The meals as fed contained 257 g dry matter (DM)/kg. 3. The contents of the stomach were evacuated, with rinsing, before feeding or 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 h after feeding. 4. The mean pH of the digesta was unaffected by guar gum until 4 h after feeding when the value increased as the amount of guar gum in the diet rose. 5. The only significant effects of guar gum on the emptying of digesta and its components (compared with the control diet) were to reduce the rate of emptying of (a) digesta 1 h after feeding (60 g/kg diet) and 4 h after feeding (40 and 60 g/kg diets), (b) dry matter and glucose 1 h after feeding (60 g/kg diet), (c) nitrogen 1 h after feeding (60 g/kg diet) and 4 h after feeding (40 and 60 g/kg diets). 6. When expressed on a half-time (T50) basis, the emptying of digesta and N (but not of DM and glucose) were significantly slower for diets containing 40 and 60 g guar gum/kg than for the control diet. 7. The apparent viscosity of the gastric digesta ranged between 0.5 and 23.7% of the values for the diets as consumed. 8. It was concluded that the effects of guar gum on gastric emptying of high-solid meals were small, and that this was unlikely to be an important aspect of the mechanism by which guar gum reduces postprandial blood glucose concentrations.     

Method for the quantitation of gastric emptying time of gel test meals

Isotopic markers were developed to allow measurement of the gastric emptying times of homogeneous and nonhomogeneous gel meals. Meals containing the dietary fibers psyllium and guar gum presented as homogeneous, viscous gels while meals containing the synthetic polymer polycarbophil presented as discrete gel particle-water mixtures. Fiber meals were labeled differently than polycarbophil meals. Fiber meals were labeled with 51Cr-CM-Sephadex. The marker was uniformly suspended in meals containing at least 1% guar or 2% psyllium. In contrast, polycarbophil particles were labeled by hydrating the dried granules with saline in which Na2(51)CrO4 had been dissolved. Use of the markers to measure gastric emptying was demonstrated in dogs fitted with duodenal cannulas. Half of the fiber meals emptied from the stomach in about 40 min without significant dilution by secretions. In contrast, only 8% of the polycarbophil particles emptied by 90 min. Particle-specific labeling of polycarbophil was important because the meal effluent was diluted extensively by secretions. We conclude that 51Cr-CM-Sephadex and soluble Cr-51 may be used as meal markers for estimation of the gastric emptying times of certain homogeneous and nonhomogeneous gel-type meals, respectively.     

Arginine utilization of young rats fed diets with simple versus complex carbohydrates

We proposed that increasing dietary complex carbohydrates would, by increasing fecal nitrogen loss and thus decreasing urinary nitrogen and the need for urea synthesis, ameliorate the effects of arginine deficiency. Two experiments using male, weanling, Sprague-Dawley rats with ad libitum access to water and isocaloric, isonitrogenous, 19% L-amino acid diets were carried out to test this hypothesis. The first was performed in two identical blocks of a 4 X 4 factorial experiment each with six rats per group. Four levels of arginine were fed: 0.0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2% of diet with four variations in dietary carbohydrates: sucrose alone, replacement of 2/3 of sucrose with dextrin, and 5 g of wheat bran or guar gum added to 100 g of the sucrose-based diets. Varying dietary carbohydrate quality did not influence growth of rats fed the 1.2% arginine diets, however, when added to the diet with 0.0 arginine, guar gum but not dextrin or wheat bran increased growth. This guar gum-induced weight increase was associated with partial reversal of arginine-deficiency-induced liver lipidosis and orotic aciduria and with higher fecal nitrogen and lower urinary nitrogen. The specificity of this guar gum effect was tested in a second experiment in which guar gum was added to diets containing 33% of the control level of arginine, histidine, leucine, methionine or phenylalanine. Only rats fed the diet deficient in arginine showed significant improvement in growth with added guar gum. We conclude that dietary guar gum but not dextrin or wheat bran, by increasing fecal nitrogen loss and decreasing the need for urea synthesis, partially ameliorates the effects of a low arginine intake. The practical application of feeding guar gum to alleviate certain ammonia-toxicity-related medical conditions is discussed.     

Does the route of feeding modify gastric emptying in rats?

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that the pattern of previous nutrient intake can influence gastric emptying. However, the effect of the absence of enteral stimulation in the setting of a normal energy supply on gastric emptying has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine whether the absence of enteral stimulation during total parenteral nutrition (TPN) could modify gastric emptying in rats. METHODS: Two experiments were performed. First, gastric emptying of a peptone meal was compared between rats receiving TPN, oral liquid diet (same solution as TPN), or regular diet (control group) for 10 days. In the second experiment, gastric emptying of two test meals (40% peptone and 25% glucose) was studied before and after rats received TPN or intragastric nutrition (same solution as TPN) for 10 to 12 days. RESULTS: In experiment 1, gastric emptying of 40% peptone in the TPN and liquid diet groups was slower than that in the control group. This difference was significant between the TPN group and the control group (p < .01) but not between the liquid diet and control groups (p = .076). Gastric emptying of this meal in the TPN and liquid diet groups was similar. In experiment 2, no difference in gastric emptying of 40% peptone or 25% glucose was found between rats receiving TPN and those receiving intragastric nutrition for 10 to 12 days. CONCLUSIONS: The composition of diet not the route of feeding is important in the modification of gastric emptying by the pattern of previous nutrient intake.     

Effect of guar gum on gastric emptying after gastric resection

Gastric emptying after a conventional semisolid meal containing 5 g of guar gum granules or placebo was measured in a double-blind, controlled trial, using a radioisotopic (technetium Tc-99m DTPA) technique, in 11 patients who had undergone gastric resection, and who were experiencing the dumping syndrome. Guar gum clearly slowed gastric emptying in five of the 11 patients, and the results suggest that the addition of guar gum to normal meals, especially those rich in monosaccharides or disaccharides, may be helpful to post-gastrectomy patients suffering from the dumping syndrome.     

The effect of soy protein isolate in the diet on retention by the rat of iron from radiolabeled test meals

The influence of soy protein isolate (SPI) in the diet on whole-body retention of extrinsically radiolabeled iron from test meals containing or not containing SPI was evaluated in marginally iron-deficient weanling rats. In experiment 1 SPI was compared with casein in a 2 X 2 factorial design: diets and test meals were either SPI-based or casein-based. Diets were fed for 13 days prior to the test meal and for 7 days subsequent to the test meal. Rats fed the SPI-based diet retained less iron from test meals than did rats fed the casein-based diet (66.1 vs. 74.8%, P less than 0.01). Experiment 2 showed that an SPI-based diet fed during the final 4 days of a 14-day pre-test meal period and subsequent to the test meal led to less iron retention compared to a casein-based diet. In addition to the observed diet effect, experiment 1 showed that iron retention was less from an SPI-based test meal than from a casein-based test meal, confirming previous reports of adverse effects of SPI on iron retention. The present experiments show that SPI can adversely affect from retention in two ways: by its presence in the diet before and after a test meal, and by its presence in a test meal.     

The effect of prolonged dietary supplementation with guar gum on subsequent iron absorption and retention in rats

The effect of prolonged consumption of guar gum on iron absorption and Fe status was investigated in rats. Experiments with closed loops of duodenum, isolated in situ, were designed to reveal changes in the short-term regulation of duodenal Fe uptake, induced by challenge with low- and high-Fe meals. In separate experiments, the effect of guar gum on the capacity of intact rats to maintain Fe status and to absorb Fe from a test-meal was investigated. Male Wistar rats were given either a control, semi-synthetic diet (C) for 21 d or a similar diet containing 100 g guar gum (G)/kg for 27 d. Both diets contained 36 mg Fe/kg. Two subgroups were then challenged with meals containing low-Fe (8 mg/kg) or high-Fe (566 mg/kg), while a third subgroup received a meal of the control diet (36 mg Fe/kg). At intervals of 12, 36, 60 and 84 h after the dietary challenge, the uptake of [59Fe]ferric citrate was measured using closed duodenal loops in situ. All G-supplemented animals absorbed less Fe than their C-fed counterparts. Within group C, animals given the high-Fe challenge had lower absorptions 12, 36 and 60 h later, compared with those given the maintenance diet, whilst those given the low-Fe meal showed much increased uptake 12 and 36 h later. The latter effect was virtually abolished by guar gum. In the second experiment, male Wistar rats were fed on the C or G diets containing 8, 15, 20, 26 or 36 mg Fe/kg for approximately 10 weeks ad lib.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The effect of soluble- and insoluble-fibre supplementation on post-prandial glucose tolerance, insulin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide secretion in healthy subjects

Six healthy non-obese male subjects were given three test meals containing 100 g carbohydrate and 1.5 g soluble paracetamol, supplemented on one occasion with 10 g guar gum and on another with 10 g sugarbeet fiber. A further six subjects were given the same test meal supplemented on one occasion with 10 g soya-bean-cotyledon fibre and on another, 5 g glucomannan. Venous blood samples were taken before, and at intervals for 180 min following the meal, and analysed for insulin, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and paracetamol (as an index of gastric emptying). Arterialized blood samples were taken and analysed for glucose. Meal supplementation with both guar gum and sugar-beet fibre improved glucose tolerance, but circulating glucose levels were unaffected by the addition of either soya-bean-cotyledon fibre or glucomannan to the meals. Supplementation with guar gum and glucomannan lowered post-prandial insulin levels. Insulin levels were enhanced by addition of soya-bean-cotyledon fibre to the meal and unaffected by sugar-beet fibre. Post-prandial GIP levels were lowered in the guar-gum-supplemented meal and augmented with sugar-beet fibre supplementation. Addition of glucomannan and soya-bean-cotyledon fibre did not affect circulating GIP levels. The study failed to confirm previous reports of improved glucose tolerance following glucomannan and soya-bean-cotyledon fibre supplementation. The failure of sugar-beet fibre to reduce post-prandial insulin secretion despite improved glucose tolerance may be due to the observed increased secretion of GIP. The increased insulin levels seen following soya-bean-cotyledon fibre supplementation cannot be attributed either to changes in glucose tolerance, GIP secretion or gastric emptying.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Dietary guar gum effects on postprandial blood glucose, insulin and hydroxyproline in humans

Meals (425 kcal) containing various doses of guar gum (0, 2.5, 7.5 or 12.5 g) were ingested by nine healthy male subjects after a 12-h fast. The rise in blood glucose was higher after the control meal without guar gum than after the guar gum-containing meals, which all gave a similar rise in glucose. In contrast, increased doses of guar gum led to a greater reduction in the postprandial rise in insulin. The postprandial increase in serum hydroxyproline, an amino acid added to all meals, was decreased in a similar manner by all of the guar gum doses. Gastric emptying was measured after the control meal without guar gum and the meal containing 12.5 g of guar gum by monitoring 51Cr, which was added to the meals. Guar gum was found to reduce the variation between individuals, as well as the initial rate of gastric emptying, which correlated with changes in both serum hydroxyproline (rs = 0.93, P less than 0.01) and blood glucose (rs = 0.83, P less than 0.01). The effectiveness of guar gum in reducing postprandial response was lost after heating and homogenization for canning. A threshold in the reduction in rise of glucose or hydroxyproline was reached with the lowest dose (2.5 g) of viscous guar gum; larger doses had no additional effects. The reduced absorption seems to be an effect of a slower gastric emptying rate.     

Dietary corn oil and guar gum stimulate intestinal crypt cell proliferation in rats by independent but potentially synergistic mechanisms.

The effects of corn oil, guar gum and cellulose on mucosal proliferation were investigated in rats. Animals were allocated to three groups and fed a fiber-free diet or diets containing 100 g/kg of cellulose or guar gum. Each group was subdivided to receive corn oil at 40 or 80 g/kg. The crypt cell production rate (CCPR) was determined after 28 d. Consumption of guar gum or corn oil led to greater CCPR in the ileum and cecum. In a second experiment, animals were allocated to two groups and fed diets containing either cellulose or guar gum (100 g/kg). Each group was again subdivided to receive either corn oil (80 g/kg) or minimal lipid (linolenic acid, 10 g/kg). The trophic effect of guar gum occurred even in the low lipid-fed group, indicating that guar gum exerts a positive effect on cell turnover independently of any interaction with luminal lipid. However, the highest CCPR occurred in animals fed guar gum and corn oil. Postprandial enteroglucagon and gastrin concentrations were highest in animals fed both guar gum and corn oil. Thus, corn oil and guar gum exert independent trophic effects on the intestinal mucosa. The combination of effects led to a three- to four-fold increase in colon mucosal CCPR.     

In vivo imaging of intragastric gelation and its effect on satiety in humans

Previous studies indicated that physical characteristics of food influence satiety, but the relative importance of the oral, gastric, and intestinal behaviors of the food is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the satiating effects of 2 types of alginates, which gel weakly or strongly on exposure to acid, compared with guar gum whose viscosity is unaffected by acid. Subjects (n = 12; 3 men, 9 women) ingested a 325-mL sweetened, milk-based meal replacer beverage on 4 separate occasions, either alone as a control or including 1% by weight alginate or guar gum. Intragastric gelling, gastric emptying, and meal dilution were assessed by serial MRI while satiety was recorded for 4 h. MR images showed that all of the meals became heterogeneous in the stomach except for guar, which remained homogeneous. The alginate meals formed lumps in the stomach, with the strong-gelling alginate producing the largest volume. Although gastric emptying was similar for all 4 meals, the sense of fullness at the same gastric volume was significantly greater for all 3 viscous meals than for the control. Compared with the control meal, the strong-gelling alginate (P = 0.031) and guar (P = 0.041) meals increased fullness at 115 min, and the strong-gelling alginate decreased hunger by the 115-min (P = 0.041) and 240-min (P = 0.041) time points. Agents that gel on contact with acid may be useful additions to weight-reducing diets. We hypothesize that this effect is due to distension in the gastric antrum and/or altered transport of nutrients to the small intestine in the lumps.     

The effect of different dosages of guar gum on gastric emptying and small intestinal transit of a consumed semisolid meal

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus about the effect of guar gum supplementation on gastrointestinal transit. It has been suggested that guar gum slows gastric emptying and intestinal transit, thus inducing an increased feeling of satiety. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether addition of guar gum to a semisolid meal affects gastrointestinal transit. DESIGN: Eight male subjects were randomly studied four times. They consumed a standard semisolid test meal containing either 0 g, 2.5 g, 3.5 g, or 4.5 g of guar gum. The test meals contained 1 mCi 99mTc-hepatate for scintigraphy and 5 g lactulose for the H2-breath test. Scintigraphic scanning was performed for at least two hours, and gastric half-emptying time (T1/2) was calculated. Breath samples were collected at 15 minute intervals and analyzed for H2-enrichment. The orocecal transit time (OCTT) was then determined. A parameter of intestinal transit (PIT) was obtained by subtracting the T1/2 from the OCTT. RESULTS: There were no significant differences (in minutes) between the different tests in both T1/2 (0 g, t = 88.2 +/- 11, 2.5 g, t = 83.3 +/- 11.9, 3.5 g, t = 83.3 +/- 13.6, 4.5 g, t = 72.4 +/- 7.2, p = 0.86) and PIT (0 g, t = 149.9 +/- 26.6, 2.5 g, t = 145.5 +/- 25.6, t = 3.5 g, t = 175.3 +/- 17.6, t = 4.5 g, t = 152.6 +/- 22.4, p = 0.52). CONCLUSION: Addition of guar gum to a semisolid meal up to a dosage of 4.5 g does not affect gastrointestinal transit. Other mechanisms than gastrointestinal motility are involved in a possible satiating effect of guar gum supplementation.     

Effects of dietary fiber on fecal mucinase and beta-glucuronidase activity in rats

Mucinase and beta-glucuronidase enable colon bacteria to degrade protective mucins and recycle glucuronide conjugates of toxins and carcinogens. The response of these bacterial enzymes to dietary fiber was studied in the laboratory rat. Fiber-free basal diet was mixed with guar gum, pectin, carrageenan, or cellulose at levels of 5 and 15%. These diets were fed for 21 days to groups of six male Fischer-344 rats having an average weight of 150 g. Mucinase and beta-glucuronidase activities were assayed in fresh rat feces. Rats fed 15% guar gum or pectin gained significantly (P less than 0.05) less weight than the other rats. Mucinase specific activity was highest in the fiber-free diet group and lowest in the 15% guar gum group. Total daily output of mucinase was highest in rats fed fiber-free diet or cellulose and lower in rats fed more readily fermentable fiber. Specific activity and total output of beta-glucuronidase were highest in rats fed fiber-free diet and significantly lower in those fed 15% fiber diets. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that some kinds of dietary fiber may play a role in the etiology of intestinal disease.     

Pancreatic and intestinal response to dietary guar gum in rats

Rats were fed a fiber-free semi-purified diet or one containing 10% guar gum, a hydrophilic galactomannan, or a laboratory stock diet. The presence of guar gum in the diet decreased food intake and body weight gain perhaps due to distension of the gastrointestinal tract. Relative to the group fed fiber-free diet, liver weight was smaller and pancreas weight larger in the groups consuming guar gum or the stock diet. The latter 2 diets were hypocholesterolemic relative to the fiber-free diet. In both the unfed and fed state the wet weight of the intestine was significantly greater in the rats consuming guar gum. The greatest difference was in the wet weights of the small intestine in the fed animals. In the pancreas, there were no notable differences in digestive enzyme activity between the groups fed guar and fiber-free diet. However, in the intestine, lipase, amylase and total proteolytic activity were significantly greater in the rats fed guar gum. This elevation of enzyme activity in the intestine could be due to a slower rate of enzyme degradation or to enhancement of the enzyme secretion. The ability of guar gum to increase the volume of intestinal contents may be important in its slowing of absorption.     

The effect of guar gum on the distribution of a radiolabelled meal in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat

1. The effect of addition of guar gum (5 and 10 g/l) to a radiolabelled, homogenized, baked-bean test meal on the distribution of that meal in the gastrointestinal tract was investigated in groups of male rats killed at 25, 50, 100, 200, 300 and 400 min after gavage. 2. Addition of 5 and 10 g guar gum/l significantly increased the proportion of the meal remaining in the stomach at 25 and 50 min after gavage (P less than 0.01). 3. The heads of the control meal and meals containing guar gum reached the distal intestine within 25 min after gavage but radioactivity was not observed in the caecum until 100 min after administration of each of the meals. Addition of guar gum (5 and 10 g/l) delayed caecal filling even though the head of each meal reached the caecum at the same time after gavage. 4. The geometric centres of guar-gum-containing meals were proximal to that of the control meal at all times after gavage. 5. The observed delay in the passage of a guar-gum-containing meal through the stomach and small intestine is probably due to the viscous nature of the meal resisting the propulsive and mixing effects of the gastrointestinal contractions, thereby reducing access of the glucose to the absorptive epithelium. This could contribute to the observed reductions in postprandial glycaemia seen in previous studies after incorporating guar gum into a meal.     

The effect of guar gum on carbohydrate-, fat- and protein-stimulated gut hormone secretion: modification of postprandial gastric inhibitory polypeptide and gastrin responses

The effect of incorporating guar gum into predominantly single-component meals of carbohydrate, fat or protein on liquid gastric emptying and on the secretion of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), gastrin and motilin, was studied in healthy human volunteers. Volunteers were given either 80 ml Hycal (carbohydrate meal), 150 g cooked lean minced beef (protein meal) or 200 ml double cream (fat meal) either with or without 5 or 6 g guar gum. Liquid gastric emptying was monitored in the fat and protein meals by taking 1.5 g paracetamol, consumed in water, with the meals and monitoring its appearance in circulation. Postprandial insulin and GIP levels were both significantly reduced by addition of guar gum to the carbohydrate meal. Postprandial GIP secretion was also reduced by addition of guar gum to the protein meal, but protein-stimulated gastrin secretion was enhanced by guar gum. There was a significant negative correlation between peak circulating gastrin levels and the corresponding GIP levels. Postprandial GIP secretion and plasma motilin levels were unaffected by addition of guar gum to the fat meal. 5 and 10 g guar gum/l solutions in water possessed buffering capacities between pH 2.75 and 5.5. Guar gum at 5 g/l caused no detectable change in liquid gastric-emptying time. The observed augmentation of gastrin secretion by guar gum following a protein meal could be due either to the buffering capacity of guar gum or to the attenuation of GIP secretion. It is possible that the chronic use of guar gum could be associated with changes in gastric acid secretion.     

Effect of various types of dietary fibre on gastric emptying in growing pigs

1. Five pigs initially of 40-50 kg live weight were fitted with simple gastric cannulas which permitted complete evacuation and sampling of gastric digesta once daily. 2. The effects of addition of four types of dietary fibre (wheat bran (WB; 40 g/kg), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC; 40 g/kg), high-methoxy citrus pectin (Pe; 40 g/kg) and granulated guar gum (G; 40 g/kg] on gastric emptying of a semi-purified diet during 4 h following a meal were measured. 3. Each of the test diets and the control diet (C) were given to each pig for 1 week using a 5 x 5 Latin-square arrangement. Digesta were collected before and 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 h after feeding on the last 5 d of each week. 4. The mean gastric pH was not significantly affected by diet except 2 h after feeding (CMC higher than C) and 4 h (Pe, G and CMC higher than C). 5. Compared with diet C, the rate of gastric emptying of digesta was significantly slower for diet G, 1, 2 and 4 h after feeding, and 2 and 4 h after feeding for diet CMC. 6. The rates of gastric emptying of digesta components were not significantly reduced by dietary fibre except for dry matter (DM) (diet CMC 2 h and diet B 4 h after feeding), total nitrogen (TN) (diet G 2 h after feeding) and total glucose (diet Pe 2 h after feeding). 7. There were no significant effects of diet on trichloroacetic-acid-soluble N:TN. 8. When gastric emptying was expressed in terms of half-time (T50) values, significant increases (compared with diet C) were found for digesta (diets G and CMC), DM (diet WB) and TN (diet G). 9. The apparent viscosity of the gastric digesta was significantly higher when diets Pe, G, and CMC were given than diets C or WB. Diets Pe and CMC were very viscous in the meal before ingestion, but diet G was not; its high viscosity developed after it had reached the stomach. 10. It is concluded that although those types of dietary fibre which increased meal or gastric viscosity reduced the rate of gastric emptying of digesta, this effect was confined to the liquid phase, because DM, total glucose and TN emptying were largely unaffected. The hypothesis that a reduced rate of gastric emptying may be an important determinant of the decreased rates of glucose absorption observed when such sources of dietary fibre are eaten is not supported by the results presented.     

Dietary fibers affect viscosity of solutions and simulated human gastric and small intestinal digesta

Two experiments were conducted to determine the viscosities of both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers. In Expt. 1, corn bran, defatted rice bran, guar gum, gum xanthan, oat bran, psyllium, soy hulls, stabilized rice bran, wheat bran, wood cellulose, and 2 methylcellulose controls (Ticacel 42, Ticacel 43) were hydrated in water overnight at 0.5, 1, 1.5, or 2% concentrations. In Expt. 2, guar gum, oat bran, psyllium, rice bran, wheat bran, and wood cellulose were subjected to a 2-stage in vitro gastric and small intestinal digestion simulation model. Viscosity was measured every 2 and 3 h during gastric and small intestinal simulation, respectively. Viscosities in both experiments were measured at multiple shear rates. Viscosities of all fiber solutions were concentration- and shear rate-dependent. Rice brans, soy hulls, and wood cellulose had the lowest viscosities, whereas guar gum, psyllium, and xanthan gum had the highest viscosities, regardless of concentration. During gastric simulation, viscosity was higher (P < 0.05) at 4 h than at 0 h for guar gum, psyllium, rice bran, and wheat bran. During small intestinal simulation, viscosities were higher (P < 0.05) between 3 and 9 h compared with 18 h for guar gum, oat bran, and rice bran. Guar gum, psyllium, and oat bran exhibited viscous characteristics throughout small intestinal simulation, indicating potential for these fibers to elicit blood glucose and lipid attenuation. Wheat and rice brans and wood cellulose did not exhibit viscous characteristics throughout small intestinal digestion; thus, they may be beneficial for laxation.     

Iron retention by rats from casein-legume test meals: effect of tannin level and previous diet

The effect of tannin content on iron (Fe) bioavailability from several legumes was evaluated. Absorption of Fe from a casein (C), isolated soy protein (ISP), chickpea (CP) or red kidney bean (RKB) test meal was tested in marginally Fe-deficient rats [9.9 +/- 0.2 g Hb/100 mL (mean +/- SD)] using the extrinsic tag technique. Also, the effects of a casein habitual diet or of one of three casein-legume habitual diets fed before and after the test meal were investigated. Weanling male rats were fed the habitual diets containing 23 +/- 4 mg Fe/kg of diet (range 17-28) for 13 d. On d 14, after an overnight fast, rats were fed the test meal (1.5 g + 0.1 microCi 59Fe), and whole-body radioactivity was determined. The same habitual diet was refed for seven additional days, and whole-body radioactivity was determined again. Rats retained more iron from C (86%) than from ISP, CP or RKB test meals (73%, 75% and 67%, respectively) when the respective casein-legume habitual diets were fed before and after the test meals. With the casein habitual diet, there was no difference in retained iron from C, ISP, CP or RKB test meals (86%, 87%, 83% and 82%, respectively). Retention of iron from an RKB test meal was increased from 69.6 to 73% when about 90% of the extractable tannins were removed, but the difference was not statistically significant. Thus, feeding a casein-legume diet but not a casein diet prior to a test meal apparently predisposes the rat to lower iron absorption. However, in these studies, tannins per se did not significantly depress iron bioavailability.