Effect of dietary fiber-enriched brown rice crackers on suppressing elevation of blood glucose level

Background: Rice crackers are composed of carbohydrates refined from rice and enjoyed as a snack in Japan. Most rice crackers are crafted from white rice, and the potential postprandial blood glucose rise following their consumption may pose a clinical concern. Brown rice contains more dietary fiber than white rice and has been reported to suppress elevations of blood glucose. Dietary fiber-enhanced brown rice crackers have a significantly higher dietary fiber content than regular brown rice crackers and can be expected to suppress blood glucose elevations more reliably.Methods: We conducted a crossover trial in humans using white rice crackers and dietary fiber-enhanced brown rice crackers to investigate the effect of dietary fiber-enhanced brown rice crackers on postprandial blood glucose elevations. Participants ingested the 100 g rice crackers with 200 mL water for 10 min, and blood was collected from the fingertip at 7 time points: baseline, and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after ingestion of the rice cracker. The primary outcome measure was the blood glucose levels, and the secondary outcome measure was the incremental area under curve of blood glucose.Results: Glucose levels and incremental areas under curve at 60 min and 120 min after intake were significantly lower with dietary fiber-enhanced brown rice crackers than with white rice crackers. Incremental area under curves at 60 min and 120 min after intake of rice crackers were also significantly lower in dietary fiber-enhanced brown rice crackers than white rice crackers.Conclusions: Ingesting dietary fiber-enhanced brown rice crackers instead of white rice crackers could be useful for achieving better glycemic control.Keywords: Brown rice crackers, Dietary fiber, Postprandial blood glucose