A team of food scientists from the National
University of Singapore (NUS) have formulated a recipe for making bread ideally
suited for diabetic patients. The healthier bread was formulated by adding a
natural plant pigment, called anthocyanin, extracted from black rice. This new bread
gets digested at a slower rate which helps in improving blood glucose control.
The bread is also high in antioxidants to boot. The findings open up exciting possibilities
of creating healthier, diabetic-friendly food products.
The usual bread contains high amount of
rapidly digestible starch, and have a high glycemic index. It is rapidly
digested and absorbed into the bloodstream quickly, causing a sharp increase in
blood sugar levels. Rapid digestion of bread may also result in people
consuming more bread than required to make up the hungry feel. The excessive
consumption of bread could increase the risk of overweight and obesity, and
their associated diseases, such as Type II diabetes.
Anthocyanins are rich in antioxidant
properties and may help prevent cardiovascular and neurological diseases,
cancer, and inflammation according to the scientists.
Journal Reference:
Xiaonan Sui, Yan Zhang, Weibiao Zhou. Bread
fortified with anthocyanin-rich extract from black rice as nutraceutical
sources: Its quality attributes and in vitro digestibility. Food Chemistry,
2016; 196: 910
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