Short-Term Effects of Fruit Juice Enriched with Vitamin D3, n-3 PUFA, and Probiotics on Glycemic Responses: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial in Healthy Adults

Nikolaos Zacharodimos; Christina Athanasaki; Stamatia Vitsou-Anastasiou; Olga S Papadopoulou; Natalia Moniaki; Agapi I Doulgeraki; George-John E Nychas; Chrysoula C Tassou; Emilia Papakonstantinou

doi:10.3390/metabo13070791

Short-Term Effects of Fruit Juice Enriched with Vitamin D3, n-3 PUFA, and Probiotics on Glycemic Responses: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial in Healthy Adults

Metabolites. 2023 Jun 25;13(7):791. doi: 10.3390/metabo13070791.

Authors

Nikolaos Zacharodimos¹, Christina Athanasaki¹, Stamatia Vitsou-Anastasiou², Olga S Papadopoulou², Natalia Moniaki¹, Agapi I Doulgeraki², George-John E Nychas³, Chrysoula C Tassou², Emilia Papakonstantinou¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Dietetics and Quality of Life, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos, 11855 Athens, Greece.
² Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization "DIMITRA", Attiki, 14123 Lykovrisi, Greece.
³ Laboratory of Microbiology and Biotechnology of Foods, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos, 11855 Athens, Greece.

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the glycemic index (GI) of a commercial mixed fruit juice (apple, orange, grape, and pomegranate; FJ) fortified with vitamin D3 or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or probiotics, and their combination, and their effects on glycemic responses and salivary insulin concentrations. In a randomized controlled, double-blind, crossover study, 11 healthy participants (25 ± 2 years; five women; body mass index = 23 ± 1 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to receive five types of FJs [vitD (with vitamin D3); n-3 (with n-3 PUFA); probiotics (with Lacticaseibacillus casei Shirota and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG); vitD-n-3-probiotics FJ (combination of vitD3-n-3-probiotics), control (regular FJ)], all containing 50 g available carbohydrate, and glucose as reference drink. All FJs provided low GI values (control: 54; vitD3: 52; n-3: 51; probiotics: 50; and vitD-n-3-probiotics combination: 52, on glucose scale). Compared to the FJ control, the enriched FJs produced different postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses and affected satiety scores. All FJ types, regardless of the added biofunctional ingredients, attenuated postprandial glycemic responses, which may offer advantages to glycemic control.

Keywords: appetite; blood pressure; fruit juice; glycemic index; glycemic responses; healthy adults; n-3 fatty acids; probiotics; vitamin D.

Grants and funding

“FUNJUICE” project (T2EDK-01922) is co-financed by the EU and Greek national funds through the operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, RESEARCH-CREATE-INNOVATE.