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Effects of Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame) on Postprandial Glycemia and Insulin Levels in Humans: a Randomized Crossover Trial

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Abstract

Postprandial hyperglycemia is a known risk factor for the development of several health disorders, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the acute effect of Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame), a discriminative constituent of the Japanese diet, on postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels. The study was conducted using a crossover method among 26 subjects. Blood was sampled for glucose and insulin measurements at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after a subject consumed either 200 g of rice or 200 g rice with 4 g of dried wakame. Blood glucose and insulin levels were significantly lower at 30 min after consuming rice with wakame than after consuming rice alone. Moreover, the incremental areas under the curves for glucose and insulin were lower when wakame was included. Wakame intake can improve postprandial glucose homeostasis. Wakame intake may offer a simple behavioural strategy that can reduce glycemic excursions in prediabetes. This study was registered with the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000031050).

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Acknowledgements

Study coordination, clinical tests and data management were performed by the staff of TES Holdings Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Care Unit, Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Keiko Yoshinaga

  2. Faculty of Human Life Sciences, Fuji Women’s University, Ishikari-shi, Hokkaido, Japan

    Rieko Mitamura

Authors
  1. Keiko Yoshinaga
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  2. Rieko Mitamura
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keiko Yoshinaga.

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Conflict of Interest

KY is an employee of Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd. RM has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Approval

The study participants gave written informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. The study was approved by the Oriental Ueno Detection Center Ethics Committee (approval No. 2017–37) and study protocol was registered with University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000031050). This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the national Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects, as applicable in Japan.

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Yoshinaga, K., Mitamura, R. Effects of Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame) on Postprandial Glycemia and Insulin Levels in Humans: a Randomized Crossover Trial. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 74, 461–467 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00763-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00763-5

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