Abstract:
© 2020 It is widely known that ingestion of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) can help lower blood sugar level, whose dominant mechanism, however, remains unclear. This work presents spatiotemporally distributed intestinal absorption models that can be seamlessly coupled with an established glucose-insulin regulation model to predict glycemic lowering by SDF ingestion. Fluid absorption and absorption area evolution in the intestine have been rigorously taken into account. The current model predictions can match in vivo data much better than any existing model. By resorting to this model, key glycemic lowering mechanisms (e.g., delayed gastric emptying, glucose binding and viscosity change) have been systematically explored to identify dominant ones conferred by different SDFs. It is revealed that, taking guar gum as an example, increased intestinal viscosity due to the ingestion of SDF is the dominant mechanism. The model and findings will be valuable for the design of functional foods for human health.