Russian scientists create bread for diabetics

Scientists from the North Caucasus Federal University (NCFU) have recently proposed a new technology for producing flour products for diabetics.

According to the study authors, flour products made with this technology can reduce blood sugar levels, boost the immune system and help control hunger. The results of the study were published in the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Diabetes is a chronic disorder that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough of the hormone insulin to regulate blood sugar levels or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes is one of the four major non-communicable diseases whose global prevalence is increasing and is responsible for a significant reduction in life expectancy.

Regular bread increases blood sugar levels. (Illustration photo).

According to NCFU scientists, regular bread increases blood sugar levels, so diabetics must strictly limit their bread intake.

Scientists have proposed two ways to solve this problem: one is to completely eliminate wheat flour products, or to change the bread recipe by introducing bioactive compounds that reduce glucose levels and regulate lipid-carbohydrate metabolism.

With the second option, NCFU scientists together with colleagues at Volgograd State Medical University have created crispy bread with a low glycemic index , intended for people with insulin-dependent diabetes and those with a compromised immune system after Covid-19.

To make the above breads, the researchers replaced wheat flour with a mixture of corn flour and mung bean flour, and added postbiotic biological compounds (found in kombucha - a fermented tea).

The authors note that postbiotics are byproducts of probiotic bacterial fermentation, which restore the gut microflora and also have positive effects on immunity and metabolism.

'Due to the high content of biologically active substances in the product, its use helps to strengthen the immune system by inhibiting pathogenic microflora, improve metabolism, reduce glucose levels by preventing vitamin and trace element deficiencies, as well as reduce the burden on the pancreas,' said Associate Professor Valeria Orobinskaya from the Department of Food Technology and Commodity Science at NCFU - one of the authors of the study.