ABSTRACT
Wheat bread is a traditional food in the Arab Middle East countries. In these countries, as well as in other countries of the world, the prevalence of type II diabetes mellitus is high. The consumption of low Glycemic Index [GI] foods may provide a variety of health benefits including control of blood glucose and lipids. The purpose of this study was to measure the serum glucose response of a new bread [Biobread], which is produced from whole wheat and other ingredients, and compare it with the traditional Arabic type bread made from white flour. The study was performed in the laboratory of Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Jordan, Amman-Jordan. A group of 8 adult healthy volunteers [4 men, 4 women] participated in this study. They were fed the commercially prepared Biobread and white bread. The GI [mean +/- SEM] was calculated by standard methods. The glucose response of the Biobread was lower than that of the traditional white bread giving a GI value of 70.2 +/- 8.5. The Biobread can be classified as a relatively low- GI food item. There seems to be an effect of the added ingredients on the blood glucose response, particularly the rye and soybean flour incorporated in Biobread