Background – Control of postprandial hyperglycemia is one of the main therapeutic targets in diabetic patients, glucose-intolerant and normal subjects. High amylose starch, as found in Indica rice and corn flour, suppress blood glucose levels and insulin responses when compared with the low amylose starch. Since the traditional Japanese rice crackers are generally made from Japonica rice, which has a low amylose content (16 – 18 % amylose), they have a high glycemic index (GI, 91). We developed a rice cracker using Indica rice with high amylose content (25 – 35 % amylose) and non-digestible dextrin.
Objective – To determine the GI and insulinemic index (II) of the new rice cracker, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were monitored in healthy volunteers for 2 hr after consumption of the reference starch solution (Trelan-G), the traditional Japanese rice cracker and the new rice cracker.
Design – Twelve healthy volunteers, 6 men and 6 women aged 28.6±6.6 y, with normal body mass indexes (20.5±1.7 kg/m2) participated. The blood samples were collected before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 min after the intake of the reference starch solution (Trelan-G), the traditional Japanese rice cracker and the new rice cracker. Outcomes and Conclusions – The GI and II of the traditional Japanese rice cracker were 87±28 and 142±123, respectively. The GI and II of the new rice cracker were 63±24 and 85±55, respectively. It was clarified that the GI and II of the new rice crackers were significantly low when compared with those of the traditional Japanese rice crackers. These results indicated that the new rice crackers might be useful for the prevention of the metabolic syndrome.