Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) was picked up for a study of its effects on lipid profile and glucose tolerance in view of its relatively high fibre content. In earlier studies, we demonstrated that supplementing the daily diet with 100 g whole buckwheat flour raised the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)/cholesterol ratio and improved glucose tolerance. In the present study, 12 human volunteers replaced part of their cereal intake at lunch by a preparation made from 100 g sieved buckwheat flour for a period of 4 weeks. At the end of 4 wk, there was a significant rise in HDL-C from 42.8 +/- 11.4 mg/100 ml to 55.2 +/- 15.3 mg/100 ml (P less than 0.05), and in HDL-C/cholesterol ratio from 26.7 +/- 7.0% to 33.8 +/- 10.2% (P less than 0.02): The other changes in lipid profile were not significant. There was also no significant change in fasting blood glucose or oral glucose tolerance in the 5 subjects on whom the test was done. Comparing the results with the observations made earlier on whole buckwheat, it is still not possible to say to what extent the effects of buckwheat on lipids may be attributed to its fibre content. The effects on glucose tolerance, on the other hand, seem to be more directly related to the fibre content.
Adolescent Adult