The oligosaccharide α-cyclodextrin has modest effects to slow gastric emptying and modify the glycaemic response to sucrose in healthy older adults

Abstract

In healthy older subjects, the glycaemic response to carbohydrate- containing meals is dependent on gastric emptying and intestinal absorption; when the latter is slowed, the magnitude of the rise in glucose is attenuated. The oligosaccharide ±-cyclodextrin has been reported to diminish the glycaemic response to starch in young adults; this effect has been attributed to the inhibition of pancreatic amylase. We examined the effects of ±-cyclodextrin on gastric emptying of, and the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to, oral sucrose in healthy older subjects; as sucrose is hydrolysed by intestinal disaccharides, any effect(s) of ±-cyclodextrin would not be attributable to amylase inhibition. A total of ten subjects (seven males and three females, age 6876 years) were studied on 2 d. Gastric emptying, blood glucose and serum insulin were measured after ingestion of a 300 ml drink containing 100 g sucrose, labelled with 99mTc-sulphur colloid, with or without 10 g ±-cyclodextrin. Gastric emptying was slowed slightly by ±-cyclodextrin; this effect was evident between 135 and 195 min and was associated with a slight increase (P < 0•05) in distal stomach retention. After ±-cyclodextrin, blood glucose was slightly less (P < 0•05) at 60 min, and serum insulin was less (P < 0•0005) at 90 and 120 min. There was no difference in the incremental areas under the curve (iAUC) for blood glucose, but there was a trend for the iAUC for serum insulin to be lower (P = 0•09) after ±-cyclodextrin. We conclude that in a dose of 10 g, ±-cyclodextrin has modest effects to slow gastric emptying of, and modify the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to, oral sucrose, probably due to delayed intestinal carbohydrate absorption. © 2011 The Authors.