Title

The Effects of L-arabinose on Intestinal Sucrase Activity in Man
The Effects of Increasing Doses of L-arabinose in a Sucrose Rich Meal on Intestinal Sucrase Activity in Man
  • Phase

    Phase 1
  • Study Type

    Interventional
  • Status

    Completed No Results Posted
  • Study Participants

    15
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of L-arabinose in a sugar-rich meal on intestinal sucrase activity in healthy volunteers by measuring postprandial blood glucose and insulin, and selected intestinal hormonal responses to increasing doses of L-arabinose.
Background:

The intake of common table sugar (sucrose) in the industrialised countries is relatively high. In Denmark the daily intake of sugar is in the range of 30-40 g/d exclusive the intake of sugar containing drinks. The health consequences of this relatively high sugar intake are heavily debated in the media. One of the arguments is that a high sugar intake may be one of the factors involved in the development of the metabolic syndrome, including overweight, increased blood glucose and insulin levels as well as impaired insulin action.

L-arabinose is widely distributed in plants and is a common component in plant cell walls in maize, wheat, rye, rice, plant gums etc. The isolated 5-carbon sugar has been shown to suppress the increase of blood glucose and plasma insulin after ingestion of sucrose in rats by inhibition of sucrase activity. In vitro studies on Caco-2 cells indicate that L-arabinose is a potent inhibitor on sucrase activity, possibly in a non-competitive way.

Potential nutritional advantages of consuming L-arabinose in combination with sucrose may therefore be a delayed digestion of sucrose and a lower absorption of glucose, resulting in both lower blood glucose and insulin levels. A delayed digestion of sucrose will reduce the energy utilisation with the potential of reducing weight gain in human subjects.

Methods:

This dose-response study with 14 healthy male volunteers has a randomised cross-over design based on four single "meals" separated by one week wash-out periods. Sugar rich drinks supplemented with different doses of L-arabinose will be tested with respect to postprandial blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Postprandial blood samples will be taken every 15 to 30 min for 180 min. Appetite sensations will be measured every 30 min during the experiment. After 180 minutes a lunch will be served and energy intake (EI) will be registered.
Study Started
Sep 30
2005
Primary Completion
Nov 30
2005
Study Completion
Jan 31
2006
Last Update
Feb 26
2014
Estimate

Drug L-arabinose

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

healthy males
BMI between 18.4-25 kg/m2
age between 18 and 30

Exclusion Criteria:

donation of blood 3 months before or during the study
gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic infectious disease (HIV or hepatitis)
smoking
consumption of more than 21 alcoholic drinks/week
elite athletes
on medication
No Results Posted