Nutrient Extraction Lowers Postprandial Glucose Response of Fruit in Adults with Obesity as well as Healthy Weight Adults

Abstract

Fruit consumption is recommended as part of a healthy diet. However, consumption of fruit in the form of juice is positively associated with type 2 diabetes risk, possibly due to resulting hyperglycemia. In a recent study, fruit juice prepared by nutrient extraction, a process that retains the fiber component, was shown to elicit a favorable glycemic index (GI), compared to eating the fruit whole, in healthy weight adults. The current study expanded on this to include individuals with obesity, and assessed whether the nutrient extraction of seeded fruits reduced GI in a higher disease risk group. Nutrient extraction was shown to significantly lower GI, compared to eating fruit whole, in subjects with obesity (raspberry/mango: 25.43 ± 18.20 vs. 44.85 ± 20.18, p = 0.034 and passion fruit/mango (26.30 ± 25.72 vs. 42.56 ± 20.64, p = 0.044). Similar results were found in those of a healthy weight. In summary, the current study indicates that the nutrient-extraction of raspberries and passionfruit mixed with mango lowers the GI, not only in healthy weight individuals, but also in those with obesity, and supports further investigation into the potential for nutrient extraction to enable increased fruit intake without causing a high glycemic response.

Keywords: glycemic index; obesity; passionfruit; postprandial; raspberry.

Figure 1

Schedule of planned experiments. Tests completed in random order. Each meal contained 25 g of total sugar.

Figure 2

Comparison of glycemic index (GI) for each test meal: (a) raspberry and mango arm; (b) passionfruit and mango arm. * LSD post hoc test indicates significant different between all test * p value < 0.05, ** p ≤ 0.01, *** p ≤ 0.001.

Figure 3

Comparison of incremental area under the curve values of blood glucose level after ingestion of the glucose control, whole and nutrient extracted (NE) fruit; (a) raspberry-mango arm; (b) passionfruit-mango arm. * LSD post hoc test indicates significant different between NE fruit and the whole p < 0.05.

Figure 4

Comparison of GI for each test meal for groups with a healthy weight and obesity. NE = nutrient extracted; RM = raspberry/mango: PFM = passionfruit/mango * indicates a significant difference between NE and whole fruits in both individuals with healthy weight and obesity, p < 0.05.

Figure 5

Comparison of the incremental changes in blood glucose values from baseline between individuals with healthy weight and obesity for each test meal. (a) raspberry-mango arm; (b) passionfruit -mango arm. * indicates the difference between the nutrient-extracted fruits and whole fruit p < 0.05.