The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of a single food item has been used to monitor blood glucose level. However, concerns regarding the clinical relevance of the GI or GL have been raised on their applicability to a combination of several foods consumed as meal. This study aimed to investigate the glycemic response after consuming commercially purchased ready-to-eat meal and to develop the GL prediction formula using the composition of nutrients in each meal. Glycemic responses were measured in healthy adults with various mixed meals comprising approximately 25 g, 50 g, and 75 g of carbohydrates. After fasting, participants consumed test meals, and the glycemic response was measured for a subsequent 120 min. The GI and GL values for mixed meals were calculated as area under curve for each participant. For the prediction formula, 70 mixed meals were analyzed, of which the GI and GL values of 64 participants were used. The prediction formula produced was as follows: GL = 19.27 + (0.39 × available carbohydrate) – (0.21 × fat) – (0.01 × protein2) – (0.01 × fiber2). We hope that this prediction formula can be used as a useful tool to estimate the GL after consuming ready-to-eat meals.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether water extracts of Sparassis crispa (SC) have anti-obesity effects. Treatment of mature adipocytes with SC caused a decrease in lipid accumulation (assessed by Oil Red O staining) and an increase in glycerol release. Mice were induced to obesity by a high fat diet (45% fat in total kcal) and experimental groups were treated with two different dosages of SC extracts, a low SC (LSC, 100 mg/kg/day) or high SC (HSC, 300 mg/kg/day). SC extracts were administered by gavages for 10 weeks in the experimental groups, while the control group was fed with distilled water. The body weight gain of mice fed SC was significantly reduced (11.88% lower in LSC, 14.54% lower in HSC) compared to the control group. Additionally, there were significantly reduced serum levels of triglycerides (13.57% lower in LSC, 19.46% lower in HSC), total cholesterol (32.22% lower in LSC, 24.67% lower in HSC) and glucose (28.85% lower in LSC, 25.82% lower in HSC) in mice fed SC compared to the control group. Hepatic triglycerides in mice fed SC were lower (9.68% lower in LSC, 14.24% lower in HSC) than the control group and total cholesterol levels were also lower in mice fed SC (38.72% lower in LSC, 35.20% in HSC). These results demonstrate that the water extract of SC may enhance lipolysis and up-regulate the expression of lipolytic enzymes in vitro and reduce body weight in vivo. These significant effects were found for both low and high doses of SC treatment, and suggest SC can be used as potential therapeutic substances for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

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