Glycemic and lipid responses to glucomannan in Thais with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefits of glucomannan supplement on glycemic and lipid controls in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with two treatments separated by a 2-week washout period was performed in 10 men and 10 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two separated protocols of experiments were sequentially followed. Initially, purified glucomannan (1 g) or placebo was ingested 30 min before 75-g glucose load to evaluate their effects on glucose absorption and insulin secretion in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Later, the glycemic and lipid changes after 4-week intervention with 3 g/day glucomannan comparing to the placebo were determined. The standard OGTT was performed before and after ending of each intervention. RESULTS: Glucomannan taken before performing the OGTT can lower the rise of blood glucose and insulin from 1 to 2 hour in comparison with the placebo, though a statistically significance of insulin was not achieved. Long-term glucomannan supplement significantly reduced the 120-min glucose area under the curve of OGTT. Glucomannan also decreased the rise of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Reductions of HOMA-insulin resistance index and body mass index were detected in glucomannan-treated group though the former was shown only in females. No within- and between-group differences of insulin, fructosamine, and other lipids were observed in glucomannan- nor placebo- treated groups. CONCLUSION: In type 2 diabetes, pre-prandial glucomannan ingestion attenuated a rise of blood glucose without significantly affecting insulin levels. Long-term supplement of glucomannan to the regular diabetic regimen lessened post challenge glucose AUC and impeded the rise of LDL-C. Supplement of glucomannan may be beneficial to the glycemic and lipid controls in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Inhibition of macrophage phagocytosis of Escherichia coli by mannose and mannan

1. We investigated the possibility that Candida albicans and Escherichia coli are interiorized by thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages by interacting with the same receptor. 2. D-mannose (50 mM), a sugar recognized by mannose receptors, reduced the phatfocytosis of C. albicans and E. coli to 46% and 38% of control values, respectively. The presence of 50 mM galactose did not affect the phagocytosis of either microorganism. However, mannan from saccharomyces cerevisiae (0.5 mg/ml) inhibited phagocytosis by 70% for both microorganisms. 3. The ingestion of C. albicans and E. coli was reduced by 85% and 95%, respectively, in the presence of 10 mM EGTA. 4. These results suggest that the mannose receptor, which mediates the recognition of C. albicans by macrophages, might also mediate the phagocytosis of Escherichia coli 0111

Hypoglycaemic and hypolipaemic effects of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar) in normal and diabetic guinea pigs.

Information available in literature is contradictory regarding the glycaemic and cholesterolaemic activities of various legume proteins. Present work deals with the study of the effect of 'Guar' feeding on serum total lipids, free and esterified cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids. Normal and alloxan induced diabetic guinea pigs were kept on the whole seed diet of 'Guar' for four weeks. Blood sugar and total lipid levels were found to be decreased significantly in normal and as well as diabetic animals; free and esterified cholesterol levels were also observed to be lowered significantly in normals, whereas esterified fraction alone was found to be lowered in diabetics. Significant fall in the levels of other lipids i.e., triglycerides, phospholipids and total lipids was also noticed.