Suppressive effects of alginic acids lowered molecule for the elevation of blood glucose and the insulin secretion in human sujects

Suppressive effects of Alginic acids (mean M.W. about 50,000) lowered molecule on the elevation of blood glucose and insulin secretion were investigated using 8 healthy female subjects. When alginic acids 5g were administered with glucose 50g, the maximal blood glucose level was significantly lower than that of glucose 50g alone, and returned to the fasting levels after 90 min. The addition of alginic acids 10g to glucose 50g demonstrated the stronger effects, but the addition of alginic acids 2.5g did not induce the significant effects. Serum insulin levels showed the maximal value after 30 min and were dependent on the blood glucose levels. On the other hand, when a soft drink (300m1) containing alginic acids 5.7g were administered with Japanese cake 100g containing carbohydrates about bog to same subjects, the maximal glucose levels after 30 min was significantly lower than that of glucose 50 g alone, but were not significantly different from that of the placebo soft drink. In contrast, serum insulin levels were significantly lower in the test group with alginic acids than in both the placebo group and the glucose ingestion group. These results suggest that alginic acids lowered molecule has an inhibitory effect on the blood glucose elevation induced by ingestion of carbohydrate-rich foods.