OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate whether 4-week of dietary treatment with rice containing resistant starch reduces blood glucose and oxidative stress as well as improves endothelial function.

METHODS

Patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (n = 90) were randomly assigned to either a group ingesting rice containing 6.51 g resistant starch daily or a control rice group for 4-weeks. We assessed fasting and postprandial levels of glucose and insulin, oxidative stress markers and endothelial function using reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT).

RESULTS

The diet containing rice with resistant starch reduced fasting insulin and insulin resistance, postprandial glucose (P = 0.010) and insulin levels at 30 min, and glucose and insulin areas under the response curve after the standard meal. Rice with resistant starch also decreased urinary 8-epi-PGF(2α) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the RH-PAT index (P < 0.001) and total nitric oxide (NO). Postprandial changes in glucose at 60 and 120 min and areas under the glucose response curve, MDA, RH-PAT, and total NO of the test group differed significantly from those in the control even after adjusting for baseline values. Overall, changes in the RH-PAT index correlated positively with changes in total NO (r = 0.336, P = 0.003) and superoxide dismutase activity (r = 0.381, P = 0.001) and negatively with changes in MDA (r = -0.358, P = 0.002) and 8-epi-PGF(2α).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with IFG, IGT or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, 4-weeks of dietary treatment with rice containing resistant starch was associated with improved endothelial function with reduction of postprandial glucose and oxidative stress compared with control.