Acute Postprandial Glycemic and Antioxidant Responses to Maqui Berry Gummies in Adults with Overweight/Obesity: A Small Within-Subject Pilot Study

Abstract

Maqui berry is rich in anthocyanins and has attracted interest as a functional food ingredient with potential metabolic and antioxidant effects. However, little is known about its acute postprandial effects in gummy formulations or whether microencapsulation modifies sensory or biological responses. Ten adults with overweight or obesity completed three acute conditions in a fixed sequence: white bread alone (Control), white bread with unencapsulated maqui berry gummies (UMBG), and white bread with microencapsulated maqui berry gummies (MMBG). Glucose was assessed over 120 min; insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and total reactive antioxidant power (TRAP) were assessed at baseline and 120 min. Sensory acceptability was evaluated separately in 66 panelists. Both formulations showed generally acceptable sensory profiles. In the reported analyses, co-consumption of gummies was associated with lower glucose concentrations (p < 0.05), and total glucose AUC was lower under MMBG than under Control (p < 0.0207). Insulin at 120 min was higher under both gummy conditions (p < 0.01), and GLP-1 was higher under MMBG (p < 0.05); however, changes in GLP-1 from baseline did not differ significantly among conditions (p > 0.05). Direct comparisons of baseline-adjusted analyses in antioxidant biomarkers established a differential response among gummies formulations, with UMBG exhibiting better TRAP results with decrement of SOD activity when adjusted for the corresponding baseline value. These preliminary observations warrant further investigation. The small sample, fixed intervention sequence, and absence of a matched placebo gummy limit causal attribution. The reported findings do not establish antioxidant protection or superiority of microencapsulation and require confirmation in an adequately powered randomized trial.