Bread is a commonly eaten food and has been relied upon as a staple food by most of the World’s population since the origins of agriculture. However, modern manufacturing techniques and consumer tastes has changed the way that bread is made compared to more traditional preparation methods. As a result, most supermarket bread is generally of low quality. Based entirely on wheat, often with additives, the bread is not only often tasteless and bland, but also devoid of meaningful levels of nutrients. The bread often provides refined wheat that has been stripped of its bran and germ layers and this results in a product that can stress the insulin system leading to Western lifestyle diseases. In contrast, high quality bread is made from whole grains based on a more traditional ingredients profile, and often has other whole foods such as seeds and other grains (apart from wheat) added. This gives the bread a more holistic nutritional profile by supplying a range of essential nutrients and accessory factors.
The supply of a range of nutrients in high quality bread has the benefit of not only aiding the digestion, absorption and metabolism of the starch, the high fibre content of the bran also increases the digestion time, thus providing a beneficial glycaemic effect. The beneficial glycaemic effect of quality bread is an often overlooked health effect. Researchers have investigated the glycaemic effects of high quality bread in healthy adults. For example, in one study researchers1 fed healthy individuals either a multi-cereal based bread containing wheat, spelt and rye, along with figs apricots, raisins and prunes, and enriched with 7 % fibre and 10 to 11 % protein or control bread that was basic white bread with margarine and jam. Both the control and treatment bread had the same energy density, same sugar content and the same fat content. The researchers then measured a number of biochemical parameters relating to the insulin system of the individuals.
Those subjects consuming the multi-cereal bread experienced a decrease in prospective bread consumption and an increase in satiety compared to those consuming the control bread. However, there was no decrease in the total energy intake of the subjects over a 4 hour period. Postprandial levels of glucose, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide were also reduced in the subjects consuming the multi-cereal bread compared to those consuming the control bread. These results suggest that the multi-cereal bread was effective at improving the glycaemic response of the subjects and this may have long term implications for health. Beneficial glycaemic effects are linked to weight loss, as well as protection from cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The fact that these benefits were seen in healthy adults suggests that they might be even greater in those with already faulty blood sugar control, such as those with insulin resistance.
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