N05052: Bioavailability of carbohydrates from plant foods in the UK diet
Monday 9 February 2004
This research project aims to describe the carbohydrate bioavailability in fruit and vegetable products in the UK diet.
Study Duration: October 2003 to September 2005
Contractor: Englyst Carbohydrates - Research and Services Ltd
Background
Dietary guidelines recommend that carbohydrates meet the majority of energy requirements, and should mainly be derived from fruit, vegetables and whole grain cereal products. This advice recognizes the benefits of companion nutrients, such as fibre, vitamins and minerals, and the superior physiologic handling of the carbohydrate component in these types of plant foods. It is proposed that these beneficial properties are determined by the bioavailability of carbohydrates from within the food matrix, which is not described by the starch and sugar content alone. Previously the contractors have characterized starchy foods by a classification and measurement scheme that, in addition to chemical composition, addresses bioavailability by providing in vitro measures of the rate and extent of carbohydrate digestion. The present project extends this approach to assess the carbohydrate bioavailability of fruit and vegetables. This will provide a nutritionally relevant characterisation of plant food carbohydrates in the UK diet, and will provide a research tool with which to investigate the role of 'carbohydrate quality' in achieving optimal nutrition.
Research Approach
The aim of this proposal is to describe the carbohydrate bioavailability in fruit and vegetable products in the UK diet. The project consists of three tasks:
- Re-evaluation of the literature relating to the nutritional role of dietary carbohydrates from a bioavailability perspective.
- Investigation of in vitro carbohydrate release from a representative range of fruit and vegetables and production of a standardised working protocol for measuring the carbohydrate bioavailability fractions in these products.
- Analysis of a wide range of fruit and vegetable products, which in combination with existing data for cereal products will be used to produce a database of carbohydrate bioavailability in plant foods.