(P16-031-23) Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Brief Sugary Sweets and Effect on Gut Microbiome: Randomized Controlled Trials of 8 Thai Desserts

Objectives: Thai desserts have long been famous for their iconic sweet flavor and are popular amongst locals and tourists alike. However, consuming these sweets in large quantities can adversely affect one’s health. This study aims to investigate the Glycemic Index (GI), Glycemic Load (GL), and Gut Microbiome Profiles of healthy volunteers after consuming different Thai desserts with varying sugar levels over a short period of time.

Methods: Of ten popular Thai desserts, eight were selected for use in this study based on the absence of preservative use or chemical/biological contamination. A serving size of 50g available carbohydrate (50avCHO) for each dessert was prepared. After providing written informed consent, 96 healthy volunteers were randomly allocated to eight groups of twelve participants. Their blood samples were collected for the GI and GL assessments using standard protocol. Participants who consumed one of the desserts with high GI ( >70) and GL ( >20) were asked to also collect oral and stool specimen for microbiome analysis.

Results: The mean age and weight of participants were 31.8±5.7 years and 57.2±7.3kg, respectively. 63.5% were female. Phetchaburi’s Custard Cake was found to have the lowest GI and GL (53.4&26.7), followed by Saraburi’s Curry Puff (61.8&30.9), Nakhon Sawan’s Mochi (68.9&34.4), Suphan Buri’s Sponge Cake (75.9&38.0), Ayutthaya’s Cotton Candy (81.4&40.7), Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Pineapple Cheese Cake Bread (87.4&43.7), Chon Buri’s Bamboo Sticky Rice (109.3&54.7), and Lampang Crispy Rice Cracker (149.3&74.7). Microbiome analysis from saliva of the participants who consumed the Pineapple Cheese Cake Bread revealed significant changes of relative abundance of Firmicutes phylum (p=0.047), as well as Porphyromonas (p=0.022), Streptococcus (p=0.028), and Actinomyces (p=0.047) genera. For stool specimens, no phylum showed a significant change of relative abundance.

Conclusions: Thai desserts have varying GI but consistently high GL. Brief sugary sweets could affect the saliva but not stool microbiome.

Funding Sources: This research was funded by Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University; Fundamental Fund 2565 (CU_FRB65_Food (1)_020_30_01). T.O. and K.P. was supported by the Second Century Fund (C2F) for Postdoctoral Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University.