Palatinose Offers Prolonged Delivery of Blood Glucose

WÜRZBURG, GermanyIsomaltulose (iso; as Palatinose, from BENEO), a slow digestible disaccharide, was completely available from the small intestine, irrespective of food matrix, leading to a prolonged delivery of blood glucose, according to a recent German study (Br J Nutr. 2010;103(12):1730-7). Iso is available as novel functional carbohydrate ingredient for manufacturing of low-glycemic foods and beverages. Using an ileostomy model, iso was found to be essentially absorbed, irrespective of the nature of food (beverage and solid food). Apparent digestibility of 50 g of iso from two different meals was 95.5 percent and 98.8 percent; apparent absorption was 93.6 percent and 96.1 percent, respectively. In healthy volunteers, a single dose intake of iso resulted in lower postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses than sucrose, while showing prolonged blood glucose delivery during a three-hour test.

In a four-week trial with hyperlipidaemic individuals, regular consumption of 50 g/d of iso within a Western-type diet was well tolerated and did not affect blood lipids. Fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance were lower after the four-week iso intervention compared with baseline. This was consistent with the possible beneficial metabolic effects as a consequence of the lower and prolonged glycemic response and lower insulinaemic burden. However, there was no significant difference at four weeks after iso compared with sucrose. Regular iso consumption was well tolerated also in subjects with increased risk for vascular diseases.