Abstract
Postprandial changes in salivary α-amylase activity (SAA) and their relationship with blood glucose (BG) are poorly understood. We investigated levels of SAA and BG after starch loading in 60 healthy young women. SAA and BG reached maximum levels 30–60 min after starch loading (150 g rice). At 60 min, protein-adjusted SAA changes from baseline (ΔSAA) were inversely correlated with BG at 90 min (r = − 0.53, p < 0.0001, Spearman’s correlation), and baseline blood 3-hydroxybutyrate concentration (r = − 0.40, p < 0.01). Generalized linear model analysis indicated that ΔSAA at 60 min was significantly predictive of ΔBG at 60 and 90 min. In conclusion, our results suggest that larger increases in SAA at 60 min are associated with smaller increases in BG at 90 min after starch loading in healthy young women. Postprandial oral SAA at 1 h may therefore play a role in subsequent glucose metabolism.