The Study
Impact of low-starch high-fiber pasta on postprandial blood glucose.
This study showed that when people ate this special pasta, their blood sugar didn't spike as high as when they ate regular pasta or rice. But it only tested 20 people for a few hours — so we know it works in the short term for these people, but we don't know if it helps over years or for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested a new kind of pasta that has less starch and more fiber than regular pasta, and gave it to people with and without diabetes to see how it affected their blood sugar.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 554 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means you can eat the same amount of carbs but have much smaller blood sugar spikes, which is helpful for managing energy and diabetes risk.
- 2After eating the special pasta, blood sugar rose 23% less than after eating regular pasta, and 32% less than after eating rice — even when the total carbs were the same.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD
Year
2021
Authors
Chiho Oba-Yamamoto, J. Takeuchi, A. Nakamura, H. Nomoto, H. Kameda, K. Cho, T. Atsumi, H. Miyoshi
Related Content
Claims (6)
Consuming carbohydrates raises blood sugar, which can cause sugars to attach to proteins in cells, triggering widespread inflammation in the body.
Pasta made with less starch and more fiber causes a smaller rise in blood sugar after eating compared to regular pasta, in both people without diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes.
Eating pasta made with low starch and high fiber leads to a smaller rise in blood sugar after a meal compared to eating white rice, making it a better choice for managing blood glucose levels.
Eating pasta made with low starch and high fiber lowers blood sugar after meals, and this effect occurs in people with and without type 2 diabetes.
Swapping regular pasta for a version lower in starch and higher in fiber lowers blood sugar after eating, even when the total amount of carbohydrates stays the same, suggesting the type of carbohydrates matters more than the total quantity.
When eaten in equal amounts of carbohydrates, pasta made with low starch and high fiber lowers the rise in blood sugar after a meal by about 23% over time and 17% at its peak, compared to regular pasta, in both healthy people and those with type 2 diabetes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.