Effect of consumption of ancient grain bread leavened with sourdough or with baker's yeast on cardio-metabolic risk parameters: a dietary intervention trial.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of consumption of ancient grain "Verna" bread obtained by two different leavening agents, sourdough (SD) and baker's yeast (BY), on inflammatory parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. Seventeen clinically healthy subjects were included to consume SD or BY bread for 4 weeks each, and blood analyses were carried out. The consumption of "Verna" bread obtained with both leavening agents led to a significant improvement of LDL cholesterol. A reduction of -10.6% and -8.53% was observed after replacement with SD and BY bread, respectively. A significant increase in fasting blood glucose (+6%) was observed only after the intervention with BY bread. A 10.7% decrease of vascular endothelial growth factor was found after the SD bread replacement period. The consumption of "Verna" bread resulted significantly associated with an improvement in the cardiometabolic and inflammatory profile. However, only consumption of BY bread determined a significant increase in blood glucose levels.