Determining the Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Satiety Index of Bread with Different Combinations of Wheat and Barley Flour

Glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), and satiety index (SI) are important factors in metabolic diseases, particularly diabetes and obesity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of barley flour on the GI, GL, and SI of white bread.

To determine GI, ten healthy individuals were examined on four different days within one-week intervals. The blood sugar level was measured during fasting and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after receiving the glucose solution, white bread, and bread containing 25% and 50% barley flour. Also, to determine SI, a total of 20 healthy individuals were examined on three different days within one-week intervals. SI was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) during fasting and every 15 minutes for the next two hours.

The GI and GL of 25% barley bread were 81.79 and 13.80, respectively. On the other hand, the GI of 50% barley bread (59.16) was in the moderate range and significantly lower than that of white bread (91.98) (P=0.03). Based on the results, the SI of both 25% barley bread (425.82) (P=0.04) and 50% barley bread (968.26) (P=0.02) was significantly higher than that of white bread.

The addition of barley flour to bread not only reduced the GI and GL, but also substantially increased the SI of white bread.