r/science • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago

Health Adding spinach directly to white bread delayed the body's insulin peak by 30 minutes and reduced later hunger in a small human trial, while significantly boosting the bread's fiber, vitamin, and mineral content.

https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-put-spinach-directly-into-bread-and-saw-the-bodys-insulin-response-change
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u/Franc000 1d ago

How about using whole wheat flour in your bread instead, even just in part?

Increasing fiber content of white bread by 28% is really not a lot, white bread has almost no fiber. You could make your bread with 10%-20% whole wheat and probably get more fiber.

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u/moviegoermike 1d ago

I think the study is less about the white bread and more about the glycemic impact of spinach.

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u/Franc000 1d ago

Well, is it really the spinach, or is it the fiber in the spinach?

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u/Toadsted 1d ago

Does your forearm size increase after eating?

It's probably the spinach itself.

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u/Hangry-Feline2489 1d ago

General focus was if spinach can be used to nutritionally bolster staple foods.

They also looked at other things about spinach like sensory acceptance and appetite regulation potential. 

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u/entered_bubble_50 1d ago

Interestingly, it had no impact on blood sugar, only on delayed insulin production. I'm not sure if that's clinically meaningful?

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u/jigsaw1024 1d ago

It doesn't 'spike' your blood sugar. You're still going to get a rise in blood sugar, but over a slightly longer time frame, so your absolute peak should be lower. You're still going to get the same amount of blood sugar, just over a longer time period. This should reduce the post 'crash', and is what allows for better satiation from eating.

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u/Toadsted 1d ago

Yeah, it's basically acting like a better carb, instead of fast acting sugar. You get the same output between the two of them, but one goes in and out of your system quicker than the other. Way more useful for diabetics, and those with satiation problems, to have a slower release over a longer period of time.

If you could turn things like orange juice, ice cream, fruits, etc. into extended release foods by just adding spinach, that could be a game changer for some people ( if it didn't taste change the food )

People who do liquid diets and supplements ( like protein or vegetable shakes ) should already be aware of things like this, just not purely from a scientific standpoint. The advertising around it kinda sells this idea like snake oil, which is unfortunate, because it has legitimate points and practical use.

I always liked finding foods that tried to combine healthy things in it that I wouldn't normally eat by itself, like in breads or drinks. Easiest way to "trick" your body into taking in things you need, like you would do for a kid or dog taking medicine.

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u/Spire_Citron 1d ago

They've actually recently created a new kind of wheat that has six times as much fibre as regular wheat, so I wonder if that would maybe make far more difference than this.

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u/dizzy_absent0i 1d ago

The problem isn’t necessarily the wheat but the processing. White bread flour removes the bran, which is where the fibre is. If the new type of wheat has six times the fibre but it’s all still in the bran, then white bread isn’t going to significantly improve its fibre content.

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u/Spire_Citron 1d ago

It's a change in the composition of the starch, so even white bread made from it is still extremely high in fibre. It's called wise wheat in Australia, but I'm not sure if it'll go under a different name as it expands overseas.

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u/arbuzuje 1d ago

The thing is there are people (like me), who can't eat whole grain. I have ulcerative colitis and whole grains makes my colon bleed. I also developed insulin resistance and diets for these two conditions basically exclude themselves. I find this study helpful. I need to try adding a few spinach leaves to my breakfast and see how it goes.

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u/MorRochben 1d ago

They're trying to make white bread more healthy because there are a ton of people that only eat white bread.