Effects of Konjac Glucomannan Noodle Intervention in Subjects With Metabolic Syndrome

Office of Human Research, Taipei Medical University

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a complex disease with a cluster of risk factors and clinical features, which includes central or abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, impaired glucose regulation, hyperinsulinemia, high blood pressure, and concomitance of pro-inflammatory cytokine and insulin resistance. Glucomannan (GM) is a water-soluble dietary fiber derived from the root of Amorphophallus konjac that can improve blood sugar, blood fat concentration, and weight management, and has other health benefits.The purposes of this study are going to investigate the effects of KGM noodle (KGN) as stable food to MS and diabetic patients.

The KGN diet was composed of well-cooked noodle with 2 g of KGM in a dosage of 200 g/piece twice daily to substitute the daily carbohydrate for 4 weeks, with a 2-week washout period between alternative diets. All 33 subjects received two servings of either GMNs or PNs (400 g) per day, which replaced the main carbohydrate in two daily meals for 4 weeks. After a 2-week washout period, the subjects received the other type of noodle for 4 weeks. The body weight, BMI, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose and lipid profile, as well as serum vitamin A, E, β-carotene and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CPR) were measured by HPCL.

Inclusion Criteria: Adults with metabolic syndrome

Subjects were considered to have metabolic syndrome if subjects had 3 of the following 5 characteristics:

1. Abdominal obesity (waist circumference >= 90 cm in men and >= 80 cm in women)
2. Impaired fasting glucose ( >= 5.6 mmol/L)
3. Hypertriglyceridemia ( >= 1.7 mmol/L)
4. Low HDL-C (< 1.0 mmol/L in men and < 1.3 mmol/L in women)
5. Increased blood pressure (SBP >= 130 mmHg and DBP >= 85 mmHg).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Liver and renal diseases
2. Undergoing statin therapy
3. Pregnancy women
4. Taking antioxidant vitamins supplements