Evaluation of role of concentration and molecular weight of oat beta-glucan in determining effect of viscosity on plasma glucose and insulin following an oral glucose load.

Data from clinical studies established that there was an inverse linear relationship between measures of postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses to an oral glucose load, consumed in a drink, and the logarithm of viscosity of the drink. These data have been re-analysed using concentration and molecular weight as the dependent variables. Molecular weight (M) of the beta-glucans used was determined using high-performance size exclusion chromatography equipped with a triple detector system of right angle light scattering, viscometry and refractive index. A significant relationship between changes in peak blood glucose and a combination of logarithm of the concentration and logarithm of M was found.