WHNRC (Western Human Nutrition Research Center) Honey Study
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The purpose of this research is to compare two snacks, one with honey and nuts and the other with sugar and nuts, on glucose levels before and after eating these snacks.
The investigators hypothesize that honey and nuts will have an additive effect on the reduction of postprandial glucose response. The investigators further hypothesize that consumption of honey paired with nuts will retain the benefit of sugar consumption in satiety and reduction of metabolic stress.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
Consuming sugar creates a feeling of satiation, and may buffer metabolic stress. However, prolonged postprandial hyperglycemia has been identified as a potential risk factor in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Nuts, which are recommended to be consumed as part of a Mediterranean diet, up to 2 servings per day, have been shown to dramatically reduce postprandial glucose response to carbohydrates. Additionally, honey, which is typically used as an added sugar within a Mediterranean diet pattern, has a lower glycemic index than table sugar and may result in a reduced postprandial glucose response relative to other nutritive sweeteners. However, it is not yet known whether honey can work additively with nuts to further reduce postprandial glucose response over the reduction caused by nuts alone.
Honey has been shown to produce equivalent or greater satiety to regular table sugar and there is some indication that honey can improve immediate/working memory. Therefore, combined consumption of honey and nuts may offer a way to maximize the benefits of carbohydrate consumption on satiety and metabolic stress reduction while minimizing its negative effects on metabolism. However, it is not yet known whether sugars contained in the more complex food matrix of honey, consumed together with a food like nuts can impact satiety and metabolic stress in the way that has been observed for sugar.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Honey alone and honey with almonds, then sucrose alone and sucrose with almonds Participants will be provided honey alone once each day for 3 days, then honey plus almonds for an additional 3 days while wearing a continuous glucose monitor. After a 14 day wash-out, participants will be provided sucrose alone once each day for 3 days, then sucrose plus almonds for an additional 3 days while wearing a continuous glucose monitor. |
Other: Honey
Honey representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams)
Other: Sucrose
Sucrose representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams)
Other: Honey plus almonds
Honey representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams) plus 1 ounce almonds (28 grams)
Other: Sucrose plus almonds
Sucrose representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams) plus 1 ounce almonds (28 grams)
|
| Experimental: Sucrose alone and sucrose with almonds, then honey alone and honey with almonds Participants will be provided sucrose alone once each day for 3 days, then sucrose plus almonds for an additional 3 days while wearing a continuous glucose monitor. After a 14 day wash-out, participants will be provided honey alone once each day for 3 days, then honey plus almonds for an additional 3 days while wearing a continuous glucose monitor. |
Other: Honey
Honey representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams)
Other: Sucrose
Sucrose representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams)
Other: Honey plus almonds
Honey representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams) plus 1 ounce almonds (28 grams)
Other: Sucrose plus almonds
Sucrose representing 7% of total energy (kilocalorie) needs (40-70 grams) plus 1 ounce almonds (28 grams)
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change in postprandial glucose response [Measured continuously over days 0-8 and 23-31]
Interstitial glucose response measured by a continuous glucose monitor
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change in Self-reported hunger [Fasting and 30, 60, and 90 min after consumption of standard breakfast on days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Responses regarding hunger will be collected using a visual analog scale on a tablet with a 0-100 scale depicting the extremes (0= not at all to 100= extremely)
- Change in Self-reported fullness [Fasting and 30, 60, and 90 min after consumption of standard breakfast on days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Responses regarding fullness will be collected using a visual analog scale on a tablet with a 0-100 scale depicting the extremes (0= not at all to 100= extremely)
- Change in Self-reported desire to eat [Fasting and 30, 60, and 90 min after consumption of standard breakfast on days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Responses regarding desire to eat will be collected using a visual analog scale on a tablet with a 0-100 scale depicting the extremes (0= not at all to 100= extremely)
- Change in Self-reported satisfaction with snack [Fasting and 30, 60, and 90 min after consumption of standard breakfast on days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Responses regarding satisfaction with snack will be collected using a visual analog scale on a tablet with a 0-100 scale depicting the extremes (0= not at all to 100= extremely)
- Change in Self-reported prospective consumption [Fasting and 30, 60, and 90 min after consumption of standard breakfast on days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Responses regarding prospective consumption will be collected using a visual analog scale on a tablet with a 0-100 scale depicting the extremes (0= not at all to 100= extremely)
- Change in Self-reported nausea [Fasting and 30, 60, and 90 min after consumption of standard breakfast on days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Responses regarding nausea will be collected using a visual analog scale on a tablet with a 0-100 scale depicting the extremes (0= not at all to 100= extremely)
- Change in Cognitive testing for Spatial Working Memory [Days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated battery (CANTAB) software will be used to assess Spatial Working Memory (SWM)
- Change in Cognitive testing for Paired Associates Learning [Days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
CANTAB software will be used to assess Paired Associates Learning (PAL)
- Change in Cognitive testing for Rapid Visual Processing [Days 4, 8, 27, and 31]
CANTAB software will be used to assess Rapid Visual Processing (RVP)
- Change in Salivary cortisol [Day 0 and 23 fasting only. Days 4, 8, 27, and 31 at fasting, 30, 60 and 90 min after consumption of snack provided in standard breakfast]
Metabolic stress will be analyzed by measuring cortisol in saliva samples
- Change in Stool marker of inflammation [Stool collected on study days 0, 4, 8, 23, 27, and 31]
Fecal calprotectin measured in stool samples
- Change in Stool bacterial metagenomics [Stool collected on study days 0, 4, 8, 23, 27, and 31]
Honey responsive genes identified by metagenomics
- Change in Dietary Intake [Days 1-3, 5-7, 24-26, and 28-30]
Food records collected using Automated Multi-pass Method (AMPM) on the platform ASA24
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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Women must be pre-menopausal
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Willing to consume snacks that contain honey, table sugar, and tree nuts
Exclusion Criteria:
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Body Mass Index (BMI) <18.5 or >40
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Allergies to tree nuts
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Current medical diagnoses of chronic diseases including cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases, renal diseases, cancer, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, thyroid disease requiring medication, inflammatory or irritable bowel diseases, or those with recent major surgeries
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No individuals who fall in to the vulnerable categories of adults including those unable to consent, pregnant women, children, or prisoners will be eligible for this study
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Routinely taking medications known to affect glucose response.
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Caffeine and alcohol use will not be excluded, but should be carefully reported by each subject.
Regarding female candidates:
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Post-menopausal
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Women who have been pregnant or nursing within the last 6 months or plan to become pregnant during the trial will be ineligible
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USDA, ARS, Western Human Nutrition Research Center | Davis | California | United States | 95616 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- USDA, Western Human Nutrition Research Center
- National Honey Board
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Mary Kable, PhD, USDA, ARS, Western Human Nutrition Research Center
- Principal Investigator: Nancy Keim, PhD, USDA, ARS, Western Human Nutrition Research Center
- Principal Investigator: Kevin Laugero, PhD, USDA, ARS, Western Human Nutrition Research Center
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Additional Information:
Publications
- Anderson GH, Woodend D. Consumption of sugars and the regulation of short-term satiety and food intake. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Oct;78(4):843S-849S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/78.4.843S.
- Bach-Faig A, Berry EM, Lairon D, Reguant J, Trichopoulou A, Dernini S, Medina FX, Battino M, Belahsen R, Miranda G, Serra-Majem L; Mediterranean Diet Foundation Expert Group. Mediterranean diet pyramid today. Science and cultural updates. Public Health Nutr. 2011 Dec;14(12A):2274-84. doi: 10.1017/S1368980011002515.
- Carroll JF, Kaiser KA, Franks SF, Deere C, Caffrey JL. Influence of BMI and gender on postprandial hormone responses. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Dec;15(12):2974-83. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.355.
- Gallwitz B. Implications of postprandial glucose and weight control in people with type 2 diabetes: understanding and implementing the International Diabetes Federation guidelines. Diabetes Care. 2009 Nov;32 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S322-5. doi: 10.2337/dc09-S331. No abstract available.
- Gonzalez-Rodriguez M, Pazos-Couselo M, Garcia-Lopez JM, Rodriguez-Segade S, Rodriguez-Garcia J, Tunez-Bastida C, Gude F. Postprandial glycemic response in a non-diabetic adult population: the effect of nutrients is different between men and women. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2019 Jul 17;16:46. doi: 10.1186/s12986-019-0368-1. eCollection 2019.
- Gourdomichali T, Papakonstantinou E. Short-term effects of six Greek honey varieties on glycemic response: a randomized clinical trial in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2018 Dec;72(12):1709-1716. doi: 10.1038/s41430-018-0160-8. Epub 2018 Apr 24.
- Josse AR, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Ellis PR, Jenkins DJ. Almonds and postprandial glycemia--a dose-response study. Metabolism. 2007 Mar;56(3):400-4. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2006.10.024.
- Larson-Meyer DE, Willis KS, Willis LM, Austin KJ, Hart AM, Breton AB, Alexander BM. Effect of honey versus sucrose on appetite, appetite-regulating hormones, and postmeal thermogenesis. J Am Coll Nutr. 2010 Oct;29(5):482-93. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2010.10719885.
- Othman Z, Shafin N, Zakaria R, Hussain NH, Mohammad WM. Improvement in immediate memory after 16 weeks of tualang honey (Agro Mas) supplement in healthy postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2011 Nov;18(11):1219-24. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e31821e2044. Erratum In: Menopause. 2012 Mar;19(3):377.
- Tryon MS, Stanhope KL, Epel ES, Mason AE, Brown R, Medici V, Havel PJ, Laugero KD. Excessive Sugar Consumption May Be a Difficult Habit to Break: A View From the Brain and Body. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Jun;100(6):2239-47. doi: 10.1210/jc.2014-4353. Epub 2015 Apr 16.
- Virani SS, Alonso A, Benjamin EJ, Bittencourt MS, Callaway CW, Carson AP, Chamberlain AM, Chang AR, Cheng S, Delling FN, Djousse L, Elkind MSV, Ferguson JF, Fornage M, Khan SS, Kissela BM, Knutson KL, Kwan TW, Lackland DT, Lewis TT, Lichtman JH, Longenecker CT, Loop MS, Lutsey PL, Martin SS, Matsushita K, Moran AE, Mussolino ME, Perak AM, Rosamond WD, Roth GA, Sampson UKA, Satou GM, Schroeder EB, Shah SH, Shay CM, Spartano NL, Stokes A, Tirschwell DL, VanWagner LB, Tsao CW; American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2020 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2020 Mar 3;141(9):e139-e596. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000757. Epub 2020 Jan 29.
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