Germinated brown rice may benefit diabetes patients through catabolism of branched-chain amino acids

In the GBR group (patients receiving GBR intervention), the study showed a decrease in fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and serum BCAAs, and an improvement in islet function.

Adequate consumption of whole grain foods benefits patients with type 2 diabetes. However, there is no clarity on whether preventive effects are related to BCAAs metabolism. Yujuan Shan from Wenzhou Medical University in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, and colleagues aimed to assess the impact of GBR intervention on the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids in type 2 diabetes patients in a randomized controlled trial.

Participants with T2DM were randomized to 100 g/d GBR (GBR group, n = 42) or equal staple food (Control group, n = 25) for three months. The researchers collected serum samples and food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) before and after the intervention.

The authors reported the following findings:

• In the GBR group, fasting insulin (FINS), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and serum BCAAs were decreased, and islet function was improved.
• Logistic regression analysis showed that FBG (Odds ratios (OR): 1.55) and energy (OR: 1.21) were positively associated with serum total BCAAs level, while FINS was negatively associated (OR: 0.20).
• There was a significant increase in the key enzymes of BCAAs decomposition, which promoted glycolysis by activating pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH).

The authors conclude, "germinated brown rice could improve biochemical indicators of type 2 diabetes patients, and the underlying mechanism may be through improvement in insulin resistance and accelerating catabolism of BCAAs."

Reference:

Wan W, Jiang X, Zhao R, Cai F, Wu F, Hu Y, Zhou X, Liu Z, Shan Y. Branched Chain Amino Acids, New Target of Germinated Brown Rice against Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2022 Dec 23:e2200481. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202200481. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36564930.