Key Findings:
Flaxseed mucilage was tested in various levels to determine effects on lipid levels after a meal as well as appetite sensations. Two g/MJ of flaxseed dietary fiber suppressed the postprandial lipid response and resulted significant effects on subjective appetite sensation. Measures of increased satiety after the flaxseed fiber meal were reported. Viscous dietary fibers do increase post meal satiety and may be due to viscosity effects in the intestine. The authors are encouraged with the potential of purified flaxseed dietary fiber to moderate several risk factors through effects on lipid metabolism as well as appetite regulation.
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dietary fibers (DF) are linked to a reduced risk of life-style diseases, which relate to their physiological effects in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim was to examine whether flaxseed DF-enriched meals suppress postprandial lipemia and reduce appetite. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four different iso-caloric meals were tested in 18 young men in a double-blind randomized crossover design. Test meals were served after an overnight fast. DF content and source were: control (C): 1.4 g/MJ; whole flaxseed (WF): 2.4 g/MJ from whole flaxseeds; low-mucilage dose (LM): 2.4 g/MJ from flaxseed DF; high-mucilage dose (HM): 3.4 g/MJ from flaxseed DF. During the 7 h test day, subjective appetite sensation was assessed using visual analogue scales and appetite-regulating hormones, and lipemia and glycemia were measured, after which ad libitum energy intake was recorded. There was a significant time × meal effect on triacylglycerols (TG) (p = 0.02) and an 18% smaller area under the curve (AUC) for TG after meal HM compared to meal C was observed (p < 0.01). AUC for insulin was smaller after both LM and HM meals compared to C and WF meals. Higher mean ratings of satiety (p < 0.01) and fullness (p = 0.03) was seen following the HM meal compared to meal C. AUC for ghrelin, CCK and GLP-1 and ad libitum energy intake did not differ between meals, but ghrelin response exhibited a different response pattern after the mucilage-containing meals. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that flaxseed DF may suppress postprandial lipemia and appetite although subsequent energy intake was not affected.
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