QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lifschitz, C. H. Articles by Butte, N. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lifschitz, C. H. Articles by Butte, N. F.

---

Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Research Communication

Carbohydrate Digestion in Humans from a ß-Glucan-Enriched Barley Is Reduced^{1 ,2 ,3}

U.S. Department of Agriculture/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center and Texas Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030

⁴To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: carlosl{at}bcm.tmc.edu.

Obese and diabetic patients may benefit from foodstuffs that are poorly absorbed and/or digested at a slower rate. Prowashonupana (PW) is a cultivar of barley, whose grains are enriched in ß-glucans, and thus may be less digestible than standard barley (barley cultivar (BZ) 594.35.e). To test this, both kinds of barley were grown in a chamber into which ¹³CO₂ was injected. On two occasions, 10 healthy hydrogen (H₂)-producing adults consumed in random order one 35-g portion of each of the cooked, dehulled ¹³C-enriched grains. CO₂ production was measured in a whole-body direct calorimeter, and H₂ and ¹³CO₂ were measured in breath at baseline and intermittently for 450 min. The percentage of the ¹³C dose recovered in breath was calculated. Results were compared by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The percentage of the ¹³C dose oxidized was greater after BZ than after PW consumption (P < 0.05). The area under the curve for H₂ was greater after PW (mean ± SD, 8658 ± 6582) than after BZ (5178 ± 4759) intake (P < 0.05), whereas there was no difference in CO₂ production. We conclude that absorption of PW is significantly lower than that of BZ, making the modified barley appropriate for obese and diabetic patients.

KEY WORDS: • barley • stable isotope • ß-glucan • obesity • diabetes

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. L. Symonds, S. Kritas, T. I. Omari, and R. N. Butler A Combined 13CO2/H2 Breath Test Can Be Used to Assess Starch Digestion and Fermentation in Humans J. Nutr., May 1, 2004; 134(5): 1193 - 1196. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. W. Wolf, K. A. Garleb, Y. S. Choe, P. M. Humphrey, and K. C. Maki Pullulan Is a Slowly Digested Carbohydrate in Humans J. Nutr., April 1, 2003; 133(4): 1051 - 1055. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]