Effect of Oat drinks differing in lipid composition on postprandial glucose response and appetite variables in healthy subjects

Introduction: Obesity and health complications surrounding it have been on rise for a long time due to various factors where lifestyle is one of the most certain causes. Individuals following poor diet, specifically the western pattern diet or anything that comprises an excess of sugars and fats are prone to cardiometabolic diseases. Thus, modifications in the diet have the potential to prevent these conditions. In this respect oat has gained attention due to its richness in potential health promoting bioactive compounds, such as dietary fiber, phenolic compounds and lipids. This study aims to investigate the effect of oat base products with different compositions of dietary lipids on glucose tolerance and subjective appetite variables. Method: Healthy young adults (n=13) were included in a randomized crossover meal study. Four oat base test products differing in lipid amounts and composition were consumed as breakfast meals. In addition a glucose solution was included as a reference product. Glucose tolerance and subjective appetite variables (hunger, satiety and desire to eat) were investigated repeatedly in the postprandial periods after breakfast and after a standardized lunch. Results: The main findings were that the oat base test products including added lipids (32 g) significantly lowered the acute postprandial glucose response after breakfast (P < 0.05). In addition, the results showed that the different lipids added to the oat base differed in the potential to lower the acute postprandial glucose response. After the lunch meal the glucose response tended to be higher after the breakfast test products with added lipids compared to the reference product. However, the impaired glucose tolerance at lunch was not similar pronounced for all products with added lipids. With respect to subjective appetite variables, regardless of the fat composition all oat base products resulted in decreased perceived sensations of hunger and desire to eat and increased satiety during the entire experimental period (0 – 330 min), compared to the glucose reference (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that specific lipids could have beneficial effects on blood glucose regulation. However, the effects may differ significantly, especially at a second-meal, depending on the lipid composition. On the contrary the results in the study do not support beneficial effects of lipids on acute or second-meal postprandial subjective appetite variables. Rather, we observed an improved effect on appetite variables compared to the references which depended solely on the oat base per se.With the recent trends in consuming fast foods and foods containing excess sugars and fats, there is an alarming increase in the number of people being obese and as a result being prone to cardio metabolic diseases. However, cardiometabolic diseases are preventable with appropriate lifestyle changes. In this regard, this thesis is focused on how the nutritional potential of oats can be used to develop food products that could have a preventative effect on cardiometabolic diseases as oats has been recognized as a functional food with potential bioactive components that have proven health benefits. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of oat base products with different compositions of dietary lipids on glucose tolerance and subjective appetite variables in healthy adults (both males and females) over a 5.5 hour duration that consisted of both breakfast and a standardized lunch meal, where 4 test products and a reference were served as the breakfast along with a standardized lunch meal. It was found that the oat based test products with added lipids significantly lowered the acute postprandial glucose response after breakfast. After the lunch meal the glucose response tended to be higher after the breakfast test products with added lipids compared to the reference product. However with respect to the subjective appetite variables, regardless of the added lipids in the test products all the oat based products resulted in decreased perception of hunger and desire to eat and an increased satiety sensation compared to the reference glucose solution. It can be concluded that specific lipids could have beneficial effects on blood glucose regulation while it is unclear if specific lipids could positively influence the appetite variables. By performing more studies on similar lines, it could be possible to develop food products with potential health benefits to prevent cardio metabolic diseases. The result from this study may form a base for further studies aiming at designing foods with preventive effect on cardio metabolic diseases