Exploring the ways blood sugar impacts your health
Exploring the ways blood sugar impacts your health
Are you aware that your blood sugar levels can change frequently, and it is important to maintain a stable level in order to improve your overall health? In this article, you will get acquainted with the reason your blood sugar levels might fluctuate, the effects of these changes on your health, and tips to help you on maintaining a stable blood sugar level.
Sugar and blood sugar levels
Sugars and carbohydrates are widely consumed substances across the world. They play a vital role in providing energy to the body and in regulating the blood sugar levels, or blood glucose levels, throughout the day (1).
After a meal, our metabolism works to keep our blood sugar levels steady. It does this by reducing the production of sugar (glucose) and promoting its storage as both short-term and long-term energy reserves (2).
The way your body metabolism responds after eating depends on the type of sugar you consume – simple sugars or complex sugars (1). Foods such as sugar-sweetened foods, beverages, and refined grains are a source of simple sugars, which are associated with higher increases on blood sugar levels.
Sources of complex sugars include minimally processed grains, legumes, and whole fruits. These are considered as a better option to maintain a steady blood sugar level.
When simple sugars and complex sugars are consumed in excess, or under consumed from processed food sources, acute and/or chronic conditions might arise as consequences.
What happens if your blood sugar levels are too high?
We already know that high blood sugar levels might have negative impacts on our health. Stress, some sort of medications, insulin resistance and an unhealthy lifestyle are the core of the increasing of the blood sugar levels (2,3).
Usually, people with higher blood sugar levels tend to experience an increase in feeling thirsty and they have a higher urinating frequency. Experiencing blurred vision, headaches, and fatigue are also symptoms.
On the long term, high blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other organ damages, like nerves, eyes, kidneys, and brain (3).
What happens if your blood sugar levels are too low?
On the other hand, the low blood sugar levels might also have negative impact on your health, occurring when you don’t eat enough carbohydrates according to your nutritional requirements or when the physical exercise is inappropriate in contrast to your food intake (2).
If your body is deprived of having enough fuel to sustain life, the central nervous system won’t be able to synthesize glucose, store, or concentrate glucose from the body circulation (4). As consequence, a brief decrease on the blood sugar levels might cause severe central nervous system dysfunction, and a prolonged decrease might cause cell death and coma.
Commonly, but depending on the severity and duration of the low blood sugar level, people tend to experience shakiness, confusion, irritability, sweating, and a fast heartbeat.
Strategies to maintain a stable blood sugar level
To begin with, it is important to understand what the normal blood sugar levels are. A fasting blood glucose level between 70 and 99 mg/dL is considered normal regardless of some variations caused by diet, physical exercise or medication as mentioned before (1–2).
When the blood sugar levels are higher or lower than this level some strategies need to be considered:
1. Implementing a healthy diet according to your nutritional needs is one of the strategies to maintain a stable blood sugar levels (5).
Specifically, consuming high in fibre foods such as foods rich in whole grains as source of arabinoxylans seems to be a good adding to a healthy diet along with fruits and vegetables (6). Curious about arabinoxylans? Read our article here.
What’s more? Lean proteins, and healthy fats and limited added sugars consuming are as well associated with better blood sugar control.
2. Physical exercise is an essential part of a comprehensive lifestyle changing (5). Studies have shown that both aerobic and resistance training have positive effects, and that combining the two types of exercise has even more positive effects. This way, combining a healthy eating with physical exercise is crucial on stabilising the blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy weight balance.
Why is it important to keep blood sugar stable?
Summarising, having high blood sugar levels increase the chances of developing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. On the other hand, having low blood sugar levels can cause problems with cognitive function and other complications. This way, adopting a healthy diet, being physically active, and controlling your weight might helping you on maintaining a stable blood sugar levels and lower the risk of experiencing these adverse health effects.
What are the health benefits of wheat arabinoxylans?
What are the health benefits of wheat arabinoxylans?
Wheat arabinoxylans are a type of non-starch polysaccharide found in the cell walls of wheat grains. The interest in these molecules has been increasing over time due to their proven health benefits. The consumption of wheat arabinoxylans results in a strong prebiotic effect, enhancement in overall gut health and immunity, and improvement in metabolic parameters such as blood glucose and insulin levels.
What are arabinoxylans?
Arabinoxylans are a type of non-starch polysaccharide found in the cell walls of cereal grains. Arabinoxylans have been identified in all major cereal grains, including wheat, barley, oats, rye, rice, sorghum, maize, and millet. They are localized mainly in the cell walls of starchy endosperm and the aleurone layer, in the bran, and in the husk.
Not all arabinoxylans are the same. Depending on the cereal, the amount and structure of arabinoxylans in a particular tissue may vary. Wheat arabinoxylans are formed by side chains linked by α-(1→2) and/or α-(1→3) bonds along the xylan backbone, and xyloses are most commonly mono-substituted.
The molecular structure of arabinoxylans is also dependent on the extraction method applied. Arabinoxylans can be extracted using chemical, enzymatic, or physical treatments. The different extraction techniques results in differences in the degree of polymerization (which represents the length of the arabinoxylan chains), and the content of soluble arabinoxylan.
As with all dietary fibres, their physicochemical characteristics affect the degree to which they are utilised by the gut microbiota. Higher degrees of polymerization and concentrations of soluble fibre are related to greater bifidogenic effects. [1]
Wheat arabinoxylans can be used as a dietary supplement due to their beneficial effects on gut health, glycaemic control and immune health.
Moreover, due to the physicochemical and technological properties of these molecules (e.g. water-binding capacity, gelation), wheat arabinoxylans can also be used as a baking additive to improve dough consistency, increase loaf volumes and improve crumb structure.
The health benefits of wheat arabinoxylans
Research around wheat arabinoxylans has suggested that these compounds, as part of dietary fibre, have many beneficial physiological effects along the entire human gastrointestinal tract.
These effects are dependent on a complex mixture of molecular and physical properties of arabinoxylan preparations, as well as on the site, rate and extent of their digestion and fermentation in the gut.
Wheat arabinoxylans have strong prebiotic properties
Arabinoxylans have strong prebiotic properties, by selectively stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon, such as Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides species. [2,3]
This change in the microbiota is associated with positive health outcomes, such as improved overall health, decreased gut infections and enhanced mineral absorption.
Additionally, the fermentation of prebiotics by intestinal bacteria results in the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have numerous favourable effects.
These effects include the inhibition of harmful bacteria, colon cancer prevention or improvement of glucose tolerance, among others. [4]
Wheat arabinoxylans improve glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity
Evidence suggests that arabinoxylans from wheat improve metabolic control in people with impaired glucose tolerance and with Diabetes type 2, by improving blood glucose and insulin levels.
The short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) formed from the metabolization of arabinoxylans by the gut microbiota are mainly butyrate, acetate and propionate. Acetate and propionate can bind to a specific protein receptor called GPCR43 in the colon.
After binding, the secretion of two peptides (PYY and GLP-1) is increased. This leads to lowered intestinal motility and a decrease in the levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin. These processes are key to improving glucose handling. [5,6]
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that there is sufficient scientific evidence to substantiate the health claim that the consumption of arabinoxylans produced from wheat endosperm contributes to a reduction of the glucose rise after a meal. [7]
Some other soluble fibres have also been associated with this health benefit; however, one of the advantages of arabinoxylans lies in their higher palatability.
Wheat arabinoxylans boost immune health
Arabinoxylans have immunomodulatory properties. Specifically, they may enhance adaptive immunity, innate immunity and gut barrier integrity:
1. Adaptive immunity. Arabinoxylans may enhance vaccination efficacy against influenza, resulting in fewer adverse events, fewer respiratory tract infections and an improved seroprotection rate. [8]
2. Innate immunity. As mentioned, arabinoxylans may promote a beneficial short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profile. This leads to increased cytokine production, improved monocytes recruitment capacity, and activation of regulatory T-cells, resulting in increased immune system vigilance. All these cells are involved in keeping the immune system in check by making sure that it returns to a stable state after invaders have been successfully cleaned up. [9,10]
3. Gut barrier integrity. The short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate provides additional energy to the gut cells and strengthens the mucus layer. Arabinoxylans further induce the upregulation of tight junction proteins, protecting the human body against foreign invaders and strengthening the immune system. [11,12]
How can you add wheat arabinoxylans to your diet?
Though in small concentrations, wheat arabinoxylans are naturally found in wheat-based products. However, if you want to increase the intake of these compounds in your diet, dietary supplements or enriched functional foods are also available. They can be found in capsule form, in powder blends, bars and even products such as enriched bread, pasta, and a variety of other snacks.
Generally, 1 to 5 grams of arabinoxylans daily are enough to benefit from their prebiotic effect. Regarding EFSA’s health claim on glycaemic control, at least 8% of arabinoxylan-rich fibre produced from wheat endosperm per unit of available carbohydrates should be consumed.
Wheat arabinoxylans are generally considered safe and well tolerated by the gut, meaning that they do not cause intestinal discomfort. [13,14]
What are postbiotics? Let's find out!
What are postbiotics? Let’s find out!
Probiotics and prebiotics are very popular nowadays for their positive effects on gut health. Most recently, postbiotics, which are products or metabolites released from microbial fermentation, have also gained attention due to their health benefits. However, they are still unknown to the majority of consumers.
What are postbiotics?
Postbiotics are defined as a “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host”. In other words, they are the bacterial products or metabolites released from microbial fermentation.
For this reason, postbiotics include several types of compounds, such as short-chain fatty acids (that have several health benefits), microbial cell fragments, functional proteins, extracellular polysaccharides, cell lysates or teichoic acid.
Unlike probiotics, postbiotics do not need to be alive to be beneficial, so they are more stable than the living bacteria they are derived from. [1]
Why postbiotics?
Why postbiotics when I can already take probiotics and prebiotics? This may be a question that comes up.
It is important to understand that gut microbiota composition varies between individuals. This means that the degree to which different components are metabolized may be different among persons.
As a result, probiotics and prebiotics may have different health effects between individuals. Moreover, temporal changes in our gut microbiota composition could also influence the effects of these compounds.
On the other hand, many positive health effects of probiotics and prebiotics are due to the production of components such as short-chain fatty acids, microbial fragments, functional proteins or teichoic acid.
As mentioned before, these components are postbiotics, which means that when postbiotics are taken, these components are directly ingested.
If you want to know more about prebiotics, check this article. Or if you are familiar with prebiotics, this article about synbiotics might be for you!
What are the health benefits of postbiotics?
Research suggests that postbiotics may have several health benefits. These include the following:
• Modulation of the microbiota. Postbiotics components such as butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, are beneficial for gut health. [2]
• Modulation of the immune system. Butyrate can stimulate the production of T cells in the intestine, which helps control immune responses. Other components such as microbial cell wall fragments can increase the production of cytokines, which are chemical messengers that help reduce inflammation and boost immune responses. [2,3]
• Modulation of the metabolism. Propionate, a short-chain fatty acid, can help improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. On the other hand, butyrate can stimulate the production of an antioxidant called glutathione. [1,2]
• Weight loss aid. Short-chain fatty acids may help weight loss through the modification of eating behaviours. This is due to the release of hormones that increase satiety. [1]
• Reduction of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. A study in 443 individuals with IBS involving orally administered, heat-inactivated Bifidobacterium bifidum, found that the postbiotic substantially alleviated symptoms associated with IBS, such as abdominal pain or discomfort, abdominal bloating and abnormal bowel habits. [4]
• Other potential benefits. Orally administered, inactivated lactic acid bacteria may help eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection, chronic unexplained diarrhoea and the abrogation of the negative effects of stress. [1]
How can I add postbiotics to my diet?
Postbiotics are not as easy to find as probiotics and prebiotics, but they can be purchased in health food stores and online. They are generally considered safe and well-tolerated.
As postbiotics are generated from fermentation by the bacteria in your gut, you can increase postbiotics production by eating foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods and drinks, such as yoghurt, kefir, tempeh or kombucha. Prebiotics can be found in high fibre foods, such as vegetables and whole-grain products.
A new study with Olecol® on attenuating sugar digestion and absorption has been published in a peer reviewed scientific journal.
A new study with Olecol® on attenuating sugar digestion and absorption has been published in a peer reviewed scientific journal.
Press release
The European Journal of Nutrition has published the results of the latest in-vitro and human studies with Olecol®. Olecol® attenuates post-prandial glucose spikes in healthy volunteers through the inhibition of sucrose hydrolysis and glucose transport by oleuropein.
Clinical & In-Vitro benefits of Olecol®
Oleuropein is a major constituent of olive leaves, many studies have shown the beneficial effect on various factors related to diabetes and cardiovascular development. Olecol® is standardized in oleuropein content, highly water-soluble and has already shown in two clinical studies to improve blood lipid profiles in subjects with dyslipidaemia.
The latest research on Olecol® conducted by research of Prof. Gary Williamson from University of Leeds in collaboration with BioActor, evaluated the effect of Olecol® on sugar digestion and absorption.
The researchers at Leeds University first conducted in-vitro experiments to study both carbohydrate digestion enzymes and sugar transporters in vitro. This research demonstrated how these mechanisms can positively modulate postprandial glucose in healthy volunteers consuming different types of carbohydrate. Subsequently, another in vitro study showed that Olecol® inhibited intestinal maltase, human sucrase, glucose transport across Caco-2 monolayers cells, and uptake of glucose by GLUT2 in oocyte cells.
Seven cross-over controlled randomized intervention studies, were performed on young healthy volunteers. Five minutes after either placebo or Olecol® intake, participants were given 109g of white bread (containing 50 g of available carbohydrates). It was shown that the combined action of Olecol® on sucrase and on glucose transport can lead to a significant decrease in peak glucose in healthy volunteers.
The multiple benefits of Olecol® are: improvement of blood lipid control in both subjects with hypercholesterolemia and overweight, strong antioxidant proprieties and attenuation of post- prandial sugar peaks in healthy subjects.
About BioActor
BioActor, based in Maastricht, Netherlands, is a product development company that has developed a range of proprietary bioactive ingredients for the nutrition & healthcare industry. The company focuses on the development of innovative activities that address active living and healthy aging. The goal is to provide the nutrition & healthcare industry with science-based innovations that confer a real health benefit to the consumer.
Feel free to contact us via info@bioactor.com for more information on the possibilities Olecol® has to offer.
Further information can be found on: www.olecol.com
BioActor receives EUROSTARS grant for the FlaMeS project “Flavonoids and metabolic syndrome”
BioActor receives EUROSTARS grant for the FlaMeS project “Flavonoids and metabolic syndrome”
Press release
BioActor leads the international FlaMeS-consortium to develop novel in-vitro cell technology and clinical validation of Cordiart® for the prevention of the metabolic syndrome. The FlaMeS consortium is a collaboration between two innovation driven SMEs, BioActor (Netherlands) and AdipoPhyt (France). The project will result in the development and clinical validation of novel 3-D cell assays for adipose tissue development and in the clinical validation of a proprietary citrus flavonoid extract for the improvement of glycaemic control and endothelial function.
The FlaMeS project
BioActor BV announced today that EUREKA has approved the FlaMeS project, submitted by BioActor and AdipoPhYt. The FlaMeS Consortium has two objectives: (1) validating novel 3-D cell-based assays to screen for effects of compounds on adipose tissue development, and (2) clinically test and validate effects of Cordiart®, a citrus peel extract, on markers associated with the metabolic syndrome.
Prevalence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome is rapidly increasing, affecting millions of people in Europe alone. Public health authorities have recognized the need for prevention of these chronic diseases. BioActor addresses this need by developing a unique, natural product for improved functioning of blood vessels, glycemic control and heart health: Cordiart®.
Cordiart® is a natural flavonoid citrus peel extract with optimized bioavailability. This ingredient commands a high content of natural bioactive flavonoids. A number of in-vivo and human studies have shown very promising effects for Cordiart® in use for blood vessel function, glycemic control and heart health.
In order to test novel substances regarding their effects on adipose tissue (fat storage cells), new ‘humanized’ in vitro models are needed. AdipoPhYt is currently developing a cutting edge new technology “AdipoGut”, combining all present techniques and knowledge into a high quality and predictive test system. The FlaMeS project will result in a marketable functional food ingredient “Cordiart®”, with proven beneficial effects on blood flow, glycemic control and heart health and a cutting edge new in vitro screening technology.
“We are very happy with the Eureka/Eurostars commission’s trust in our project, as this clearly shows that they recognize our serious efforts in developing cutting edge food ingredients and food development technology at BioActor and our partner AdipoPhYt. This grant will enable us to further enhance our scientific knowledge on the effects of polyphenols on the human body and validate our product Cordiart®, which may even revolutionize the health market in cardiovascular disease prevention,” says Hans van der Saag, CEO BioActor.
About BioActor
BioActor, based in Maastricht, Netherlands, is a product development company that has developed a range of proprietary bioactive ingredients for the nutrition & healthcare industry. The company focuses on the development of innovative activities that address active living and healthy aging. The goal is to provide the nutrition & healthcare industry with science-based innovations that confer a real health benefit to the consumer.
Feel free to contact us via info@bioactor.com for more information on the possibilities Cordiart® has to offer.
Further information can be found on: www.cordiart.com
BioActor acquires Arabinoxylan-assets from DF3-WITAXOS and obtains positive EFSA opinion for its Arabinoxylan ingredient
BioActor acquires Arabinoxylan-assets from DF3-WITAXOS and obtains positive EFSA opinion for its Arabinoxylan ingredient
Press release
BioActor has acquired patents, know-how and clinical data relating to short-chain wheat arabinoxylans from DF3-WITAXOS. BioActor’s arabinoxylan ingredient obtained positive EFSA opinion for glycaemic control.
Arabinoxylan extract from wheat endosperm
BioActor BV announced today that it has acquired certain patents, manufacturing know-how and clinical data from DF3-WITAXOS. Moreover, DF3-WITAXOS’ managing director, Yann Dugenet, has joined BioActor as Director Product Development.
BioActor has already a long-chain Arabinoxylan ingredient derived from wheat endosperm in its portfolio, Naxus®, which recently obtained a positive EFSA Opinion for glycaemic control, and for which promising scientific evidence was recently obtained towards other health endpoints. Hans van der Saag, BioActor’s managing director comments; “The addition of short-chain Arabinoxylans which are derived from the same raw material source as our long chain Arabinoxylans-ingredient, further strengthens our portfolio of patented speciality fibers with clinically proven health effects”.
DF3 WITAXOS obtained excellent clinical data on prebiotic effects of its short-chain Arabinoxylans in a collaborative clinical trial with Institut Pasteur in Lille. Those results were consistent with earlier positive results from in-vitro experiments and in vivo tests on animal models. The integration of this ingredient in the Naxus® range of Arabinoxylan speciality fibers will allow for economies of scale in manufacturing and offers customers more choice in application possibilities.
EFSA has issued a positive opinion for a health claim on glycaemic control in connection with arabinoxylans produced from the wheat endosperm. EFSA proposes the following wording for the health claim: “Consumption of arabinoxylan contributes to a reduction of the glucose rise after a meal”. Naxus® is wheat endosperm derived arabinoxylan, which has been tested in several human studies and directly benefits from this health claim.
Naxus® is also being studied for immune modulation in the context of a 6 million Euro European research project – FIBEBIOTICS –, which is coordinated by Wageningen University (www.fibebiotics.eu).
About BioActor
BioActor, based in Maastricht, Netherlands, is a product development company that has developed a range of proprietary bioactive ingredients for the nutrition & healthcare industry. The company focuses on the development of innovative activities that address active living and healthy aging. The goal is to provide the nutrition & healthcare industry with science-based innovations that confer a real health benefit to the consumer.
Feel free to contact us via info@bioactor.com for more information on the possibilities Naxus® has to offer.
Further information can be found on: www.naxus.nl
BioActor and Jaeckering sign Joint Development & Marketing Agreement on wheat extract
BioActor and Jaeckering sign Joint Development & Marketing Agreement on wheat extract
Press release
BioActor and Jaeckering announced today a new collaboration agreement that combines Jaeckering’s know-how to extract bioactives from wheat fractions and BioActor’s know-how in the development and marketing of ingredients for functional food to counteract metabolic syndrome.
Collaboration targets novel wheat-based functional ingredients to counteract the metabolic syndrome.
BioActor BVBA (BioActor) and Jaeckering Muehlen-u. Naehrmittelwerke GmbH (Jaeckering) announced today that they have signed a collaboration agreement that combines Jaeckering’s know-how to extract bioactives from wheat fractions and BioActor’s know-how in the development and marketing of ingredients for functional foods. Under the terms of the agreement, BioActor will exclusively market Jaeckering’s innovative pentosan concentrate and parties will actively explore additional opportunities around wheat-based bioactives.JAECKERING in collaboration with Professor Meuser of TU Berlin has developed a proprietary production process to extract wheat pentosans from a starch production sidestream. The resulting soluble fibre product has been validated for its contribution to glycaemic control in humans by the German Institute of Human Nutrition, PotsdamRehbruecke.
According to Hans van der Saag, BioActor CEO, « together with our partner Jaeckering we will exploit the yet untapped potential of wheat for the improvement of human health. We see great opportunities for speciality wheat-based products in combat against metabolic syndrome. Jaeckering’s speciality pentosan concentrate that we will market under the brand NAXUS® has been clinically tested for improved glycaemic control and has excellent food technological properties. Moreover, Jaeckering’s manufacturing prowess acquired over the past 100 years, will greatly help us in developing new and innovative wheat-based health ingredients».
Michel Andreae Jaeckering, CEO of JAECKERING GRUPPE commented that «We are very pleased to have entered into this collaboration with BioActor, a technology company fully focussed on the health ingredients sector. We expect that our collaboration will accelerate the market introduction of our pentosan product and will lead to the introduction of additional new health ingredients».
Jäckering is a major German wheat processor with more than 200.000 tons per annum Wheat grinding capacity and more than 100.000 tons p.a. wheat starch production facilities. Jäckering also produces and markets innovative grinding and drying technology under the brand name ULTRA ROTOR.
About BioActor
BioActor, based in Maastricht, Netherlands, is a product development company that has developed a range of proprietary bioactive ingredients for the nutrition & healthcare industry. The company focuses on the development of innovative activities that address active living and healthy aging. The goal is to provide the nutrition & healthcare industry with science-based innovations that confer a real health benefit to the consumer.
Feel free to contact us via info@bioactor.com for more information.