A Solubilized Cellulose Fiber Decreases Peak Postprandial Cholecystokinin Concentrations after a Liquid Mixed Meal in Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women

Viscous dietary fibers can modify the alimentary responses to a meal and improve glucose tolerance. There may be a relationship between the effect of these fibers in the gut and the ability of the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) to slow gastric emptying and affect glucose homeostasis. We investigated the acute and long-term (adaptive) glucose and CCK responses to liquid mixed test meals, with or without 5 g of solubilized cellulose (SC), a novel viscous fiber, in 33 hypercholesterolemic men and women. In the acute study, there was a lower peak CCK concentration (P = 0.01) after a SC-containing test meal compared with a fiber-free test meal. The CCK area under the curve responses also tended to be lower after the fiber-containing meal (P = 0.08). After a 6-wk intervention with 2.5 g of SC or placebo twice daily, fasting plasma glucose concentration tended to decrease in the SC group, whereas it increased in the control group (for between-group difference in change, P = 0.13). There were no differences between the groups in the changes from baseline to the end of the study in any other variable. There were significant gender differences in several variables at baseline. These findings support the hypothesis that CCK may mediate the effect of viscous fibers on glucose metabolism. The gender differences in glucose and CCK may explain some of the discrepancies in the results of similar experiments reported to date.