Siraitia grosvenori (SG) is a traditional Chinese fruit. Its extract (SG-ex) contains potent sweet elements with a sweetness several hundred times higher than table sugar. SG-ex has been found to inhibit α-glucosidase and reduce hyperglycemia in rats. The present study was performed to examine the effect of SG-ex supplementation in the diet on preventing postprandial hyperglycemia in human.
Healthy male and female volunteers between 50 and 78 years of age (n=39) were given pastries with and without SG-ex in a cross-over manner. The subjects ingested bean-jam bun as a loading carbohydrate together with water. Blood glucose levels were measured at 0, 15, 30, 60, and 120 min after the loading.
SG-ex significantly prevented postprandial hyperglycemia, and the mean area under the curve (AUC) of plasma glucose over 2 h was significantly reduced in subjects with blood glucose level of >200 mg/dL at 120 min. In subjects with second-degree family history of diabetes, the administration of SG-ex significantly lowered the mean blood glucose level 60 min after the meal.
The ingestion of SG-ex suppressed the meal-induced hyper glycemic response. SG-ex may be useful for patient with diabetes or prediabetes.