Effects of a Fiber-Rich Nutritional Supplement on Postprandial Glycemic Response and Lipid Parameters in Overweight Adults with and without Impaired Fasting Glucose in India

Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of a fiber-rich nutritional supplement on postprandial glycemic response and lipid parameters in overweight adults with and without impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in India. An ad-hoc analysis assessed the supplement’s effects on glycemic and lipid parameters in overweight adults with and without IFG. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, single-center study including 96 subjects. Among them, 26 subjects had IFG (100-125 mg/dL). After an overnight fast and a high-fat standardized breakfast, subjects were stratified according to IFG status and randomized to a fiber-rich drink or an energy-matched non-fiber control drink. Blood was drawn at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, 150, 180, 210- and 240-min following treatment administration to assess postprandial blood glucose, triglycerides, remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C) and insulin peaks. There was a 3-day washout period between treatments. Results: Subjects with IFG displayed significantly lowered Cmax for postprandial glucose with the fiber-rich supplement versus control (difference -4.64 mg/dL; p=0.0487). A lower postprandial triglyceride peak was also reported with the fiber-rich supplement; however, this difference was not statistically significant (difference -6.79 mg/dL; p=0.6116). In an ad-hoc analysis, in subjects without IFG, the fiber-rich drink had a larger effect than the control drink on the Cmax for postprandial glucose (difference-4.75 mg/dL [95% CI -7.37, -2.14]), RLP-C (-0.18 mmol/L [-0.35, -0.02] and insulin (-23.33 μIU/mL [-36.54, -10.13]). A single AE, that is mild diarrhea was reported but was not related to the experimental treatment. Conclusion: The fiber-rich nutritional supplement reduced maximum concentrations of postprandial blood glucose levels in overweight subjects with IFG without much influence on postprandial triglycerides.