Effects of Various Blending Ratios of Rice and Waxy Barley on Postprandial Blood Glucose Levels

This study examined the effects of various blends of rice and the waxy barley cultivar Kirarimochi on postprandial blood glucose levels. The subjects were 10 healthy young adults (six men and four women) , who ate white rice (standard meal) and rice mixed with waxy barley (test meal) at blending ratios of 30％, 50％, and 100％. All meals contained the same amount (50 g) of available carbohydrate. Blood glucose levels were measured before each meal and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after starting the meal. Waxy barley blended with rice lowered the average postprandial blood glucose level and the incremental area under the curve of blood glucose concentration (IAUC) (0‐120 min) to degrees that were correlated with the blending ratio. Significant differences in IAUC were observed among the standard meal, 30％ barley, 50％ barley, and 100％ barley groups. Glycemic index (GI) values for 30％, 50％ and 100％ barley with rice were 79.7, 67.5 and 48.3, respectively. It was suggested that waxy barley blended with rice is effective for controlling the rise in the postprandial blood glucose level, being dependent on the β-glucan content.