Effects of dietary wheat bran on serum glucose, body weight, food intake and food efficiency in rats

Abstract EN

The effects of varying the amount of dietary wheat bran on serum glucose, body weight, food intake and food efficiency were investigated in rats fed semipurified diets containing either 0,5,10 or 20% wheat bran, for periods of 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks.

The wheat bran diets contained 2.2 to 8.8% fiber.

Body weights and food intake were measured once a week.

Fasting serum glucose levels were determined at the end of each feeding period.

Liver weights were also measured.

In neither animal group did the level of wheat bran in the diet affect significantly body weight gain or liver weights.

Compared to 0%, feeding either 5, 10 or 20% wheat bran diets for 8, 12 or 16 weeks resulted in a significant increase (P <0.05) in accumulative food intakes.

Differences in this variable were less noticeable among rats fed the wheat bran diets.

Accumulative food intakes were not affected upon feeding different diets for 4 weeks.

Rats fed the 10% wheat bran diet for 16 weeks exhibited a significant drop (P<0.05) in food efficiency compared to those fed 0, 5 or 20% wheat bran diets.

This variable was not significantly affected in the rest of animal groups.

Compared to 0%, feeding either 5, 10, or 20% wheat bran diets for 4 or 8 weeks resulted in a significant decrease (P<0.01) in fasting serum glucose levels.

This difference vanished after 12 weeks of experimental feeding.

It is concluded that addition of wheat bran to fiber-free diets does not influence body weight but induces changes in fasting serum glucose levels, accumulative food intakes and food efficiency that are time dependent.