Black Rice Anthocyanin in Mixed Meals: Influence on Postprandial Glycaemic and Lipid Responses Among Healthy Individuals

The diabetes epidemic is a pertinent concern globally. The prevalence of this metabolic disease among adults had been disclosed by the World health Organisation (WHO), reporting a total of 422 million diabetic adults and 3.7 million diabetic deaths in 2016, with Asian countries contributing more than 60% of the world's diabetic population. Due to its economic and social repercussions, preventive strategies are implemented at a population level. The implementation of a diet low in glycaemic index (GI) has been widely adopted as part of diabetes management strategies to prevent and control Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) as the consumption of food with low GI has shown to improve glycaemic control, lipid profile, and reduce systemic inflammation. Other strategies include adopting an active lifestyle and the consumption of functional foods. In lieu of this, the composition of food products may be altered by incorporating edible plant-based functional components with carbohydrase-inhibiting properties. Black rice has been proposed as a viable source of functional ingredients, namely anthocyanins, not only because of its potential benefits to health that has been established by numerous in-vitro studies, but also it is easily sourced for in Asia as it is widely cultivated. In this study, black rice anthocyanin-fortified bread serves as a replacement to white bread as the staple to the subject's diet, in a mixed meal setting. The fortified bread is hypothesised to improve glycemic responses over white bread, offering a lower GI food alternative to the conventional staple.