Diabetes study serves up brand new bread

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Diabetes study serves up brand new bread
Scientists at the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition
and Health wanted to use a bread product in their study into whether a
diet rich in oats can help people to control their diabetes.

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition
and Health wanted to use a bread product in their study into whether a
diet rich in oats can help people to control their diabetes. But there
was no bread commercially available with a high enough oat content.

So
researchers asked Macphie of Glenbervie – the Aberdeenshire-based
independent food ingredients manufacturer – and J G Ross Bakers in
Inverurie whether they could fill the gap.

Now thanks to their
efforts, volunteers on the research study are being served up a new
type of bread. The new product will also be available in J G Ross shops
this week.

Dr Alex Johnstone, at the Rowett Institute, said:
"We are extremely grateful to Macphie of Glenbervie and J G Ross Bakers
for taking on the challenge of developing a product for us.

"Our
initial testing of the bread indicates that it is very palatable and it
has been well received by the consumers who have eaten it for a few
weeks."

With the help of volunteer men and women with diet
controlled diabetes, the Rowett researchers want to see if healthy
eating and a diet rich in oat products – like the bread – can improve
blood sugar control following a meal.

The researchers are also
looking at other markers which may be associated with the increased
risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with diabetes.

Dr
Johnstone added: "The aim of the research is to develop new dietary
strategies that could improve diabetes control. We hope this could
delay the need for people with type 2 diabetes to start taking tablets
or insulin to control their blood sugar. We also hope it could
potentially reduce the risk of some of the complications of diabetes."

Fraser
Hogg, Technical Director at Macphie of Glenbervie, said: "This project
exhibits strong and effective collaboration between academic research
and industry to develop a practical solution to address a key health
issue. Given our product development experience we understand that
consumer needs are increasingly for healthy, nutritious food products,
but also that these products have to deliver on taste and flavour if
they are to be successful and this has been achieved in the recipe we
have developed for the oat bread."

Graeme Ross, of J G Ross
Bakers, added: "As one of Scotland's leading craft bakeries we are very
keen to develop and introduce healthy and health enhancing products to
supplement and compliment our range to provide our customers with tasty
alternatives to our more traditional indulgent products. We are
absolutely delighted to have this opportunity to work in close
partnership with Macphie of Glenbervie and the highly respected Rowett
Institute in producing such a specialist bread product using high
quality locally milled oats.

"We are also planning to use this
bread to develop sandwiches with a distinctively Scottish flair.
Initial feedback from the trials indicate that this bread is likely to
become a firm favourite, and not only with those looking to improve
their blood sugar levels."