Investigating Digestive Properties of Carbohydrate-based Foods

Anecdotal evidence suggests that couscous made from pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), hereby referred to as millet couscous, is highly satiating in populations living in the West African Sahel. Results from a previous human study conducted the investigators indicated that traditional West African foods made from pearl millet and sorghum (millet couscous, millet thick porridge, and sorghum thick porridge) exhibit markedly delayed rates of gastric emptying compared to Western foods (pasta, boiled potatoes, and white rice) in a population from Mali, Africa. The delayed gastric emptying rate of the thick porridges can be attributed at least partially to the impact of viscosity, while the cause of the delayed gastric emptying rate of the millet couscous remains unclear. The overall aim of this research is to determine why millet couscous exhibits a delayed rate of gastric emptying, while also assessing other digestive properties to gain a better understanding of the factors that could be contributing to this outcome. Therefore, gastric emptying rate, glycemic response, fermentation, and appetitive response are all being assessed for West African and Western foods in a population residing in the United States.