Health Effects of Different Types of Bread

Dietary fiber is well known to have health promoting effects, including reduced blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Bread is the most important source of dietary fiber in the Norwegian diet. Production of bread has changed from the traditionally use of sourdough, to yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as the dominating leavening agent in modern industrial production. Sourdough naturally contains bacteria, and through the fermentation process these bacteria release several components that are not found in modern bread using yeast. It has been shown that sourdough may have positive health effects, including on blood glucose regulation. The aim of the project is to investigate if intake of sourdough may give positive health effects compared to beard with yeast.