Pea fiber in meals and blood sugar over 4 weeks
What it found
Eating 25 g of pea fiber a day for 4 weeks lowered the overall blood sugar rise after a meal in people with overweight or obesity.
The lower dose of 5 g did not have this effect.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar after meals
After 4 weeks, the group eating 25 g of pea fiber had a smaller total rise in blood sugar following a test meal compared to their own starting point. The numbers dropped from 26,642 to 25,719 mg/dL.min. The low-fiber group did not show this change.
Insulin after meals
The insulin response after eating differed between the two groups over time. However, when comparing each group's own start and finish, neither showed a clear change in total insulin levels.
Cholesterol and triglycerides
Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels did not differ significantly between the two groups after 4 weeks. Triglycerides rose about 13% in the low-fiber group and fell about 3% in the high-fiber group, but these changes were too small to be certain.
Weight and body shape
Body weight, waist size, and body fat percentage stayed about the same in both groups over the 4 weeks. Average weight went from 90.6 to 90.1 kg in the low-fiber group and from 88.4 to 86.8 kg in the high-fiber group.
Other findings
Acceptability of the food
The pea fiber was mixed into baked goods, meats, and sauces so it looked like normal food. Almost everyone found the meals acceptable or very pleasant, and no one reported side effects from eating them.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that adding 25 g of pea fiber to daily meals lowers the overall blood sugar rise after eating in people with overweight and obesity.
- They suggest this approach is a practical way to manage health, particularly for those at risk of diabetes and heart disease.
- They note that detecting changes in triglycerides would require studying many more people.
How it was done
Most Americans eat far less fiber than recommended, and scientists do not yet know much about how isolated pulse fibers affect heart and metabolism risks. The authors wanted to see if adding pea fiber to everyday meals could help people who carry extra weight and show signs of metabolic problems.
Twenty-nine adults with overweight or obesity were randomly split into two groups for 4 weeks. One group ate meals containing 25 g of pea fiber daily, while the other ate meals with 5 g. All food was provided by the researchers, and blood tests were done before and after a test breakfast at the start and end of the study.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only 4 weeks, so it cannot show what happens to blood sugar or other markers over months or years.
- Only 29 people finished the trial, which may be too few to detect smaller changes in cholesterol or triglycerides.
- All participants already had extra weight and metabolic risk factors, so the results might not apply to people without these conditions.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NHLBI NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Conflict of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Missouri, United States
The paper
- Title
- Incorporating 25 g/d of Pea Fiber into Food for 4 Wk Reduces Glucose Area under the Curve in Individuals with Overweight and Obesity
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ghanaatgar M, Ackah-Swanzy L, Anguah KO (2026). Incorporating 25 g/d of Pea Fiber into Food for 4 Wk Reduces Glucose Area under the Curve in Individuals with Overweight and Obesity. The Journal of nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.11.010Free full textPubMed 41297634DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error