Augmented Serum Insulin Response to Glucose Infusion After the Ingestion of Konnyaku

Abstract

Summary

The effect of mechanical stimulation of the digestive tract was studied in 16 healthy volunteers during a continuous infusion of glucose. The ingestion of a 250-g loaf of konnyaku, a meal with insignificant nutritional value, caused an augmentation of insulin response, a decrease in blood glucose concentration and, consequently, a significant increase in the insulinogenic index. When konnyaku was given without glucose, no significant changes in serum insulin and glucose levels were observed. The augmented effect of the ingestion of konnyaku on the serum insulin response to glucose was not prevented by atropine. It is believed that humoral factors triggered by the mechanical stimulation of the digestive tract might have contributed to the observed augmentation of insulin secretion during a constant infusion of glucose.