American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 31, S280-S280, Copyright © 1978 by The American Society for Nutrition

How fiber may prevent obesity: promotion of satiety and prevention of rebound hypoglycemia

¹ From the Department of Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary, University of Bristol, Bristol BS2 8HW, England

Ten normal subjects were given test meals of whole apples, pureed apples, and apple juice, each meal containing 60 g of sugars. The time required for ingestion averaged 17 min with apples, 6 min with puree, and 1 min with juice. When the three meals were ingested over the same period of time, resulting satiety (assessed on a 20-point scale) was significantly greater with apples than with puree, and greater with puree than with juice. The rise in plasma glucose was similar after all three meals, but, with juice and to a lesser extent with puree, there was a fall to subfasting levels that was not seen with apples. The data suggest that fiber slows carbohydrate ingestion, induces satiety, and prevents rebound hypoglycemia, presumably by moderating insulin secretion.⁶ These actions of fiber are reduced when the fiber is processed to the extent that it does not need chewing.