Glycemic Index of Traditional Egg Pasta

Summary

The glycemic index (GI) compares the plasma glucose response to a specific amount of carbohydrates with the response induced by the same amount of carbohydrates from a standard carbohydrate source, pure glucose in our case. The GI is defined as the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for blood glucose after consumption of a test food divided by the iAUC of a reference food containing the same amount of carbohydrates. GI is based on the physiologic functions of food carbohydrates rather than on their chemical structure, allowing to a more accurate classification. Several studies found that the regular consumption of low glycemic meals reduces the risk of developing diabetes, insulin-resistance, cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases.

GI was originally developed for insulin-resistant subjects. The maintenance of stable blood glucose levels is a challenge for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes and is also beneficial for the general population, as reported by several studies.

Low-GI diets have been shown to:

* stabilize blood sugar levels
* improve body weight
* better control appetite
* improve memory
* reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases
* reduce the risk of some forms of cancer According to Walter Willet, nutrition researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health, an excess of sugars and refined starches stimulates insulin hypersecretion, hunger pangs and frequent snacking, slowing down lipid metabolism and making people physically less active.

This project aims to evaluate the glycemic index of five different types of pasta with the same format, named "Fettuccine", but with different composition (the pasta format is related to GI variations). The different types of pasta vary for flour and egg composition. However, having the same format, the GI will change only in response to the percentage content of the ingredients used to produce pasta. In particular, the aim is to measure egg's effect, distinct in yolk and white, on the glycemic and insulin response of healthy subjects.

Conditions

• Glycemic Response
• Insulinemic Response
• Healthy Subjects

Interventions

OTHER

glucose solution

12 healthy subjects, aged 18-65 years, after a 10 to 12-hour overnight fasting period will assume standard food, a glucose solution at 50%

OTHER

Traditional egg pasta

12 healthy subjects, aged 18-65 years, after a 10 to 12-hour overnight fasting period will assume traditional pasta, with 8 eggs/kg flour. The serving size must contain 50 g of carbohydrates, calculated according to nutritional label

OTHER

Pasta with eight egg whites/kg flour

12 healthy subjects, aged 18-65 years, after a 10 to 12-hour overnight fasting period will assume pasta, with eight egg whites/kg flour. The serving size must contain 50 g of carbohydrates, calculated according to nutritional label

OTHER

Pasta with four eggs/kg flour

12 healthy subjects, aged 18-65 years, after a 10 to 12-hour overnight fasting period will assume pasta, with four egg whites/kg flour. The serving size must contain 50 g of carbohydrates, calculated according to nutritional label

OTHER

Hyperproteic pasta (with added gluten and albumin)

12 healthy subjects, aged 18-65 years, after a 10 to 12-hour overnight fasting period will assume pasta with added gluten and albumin.The serving size must contain 50 g of carbohydrates, calculated according to nutritional label

OTHER

Pasta with only four egg whites/kg flour

12 healthy subjects, aged 18-65 years, after a 10 to 12-hour overnight fasting period will assume pasta with four egg whites/kg flour. The serving size must contain 50 g of carbohydrates, calculated according to nutritional label

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Azienda Ospedaliera Specializzata in Gastroenterologia Saverio de Bellis

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-01

Primary Completion

2017-09-15

Completion

2017-09-25

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations