Effect of Source of Dietary Carbohydrate on Plasma Glucose and Insulin Responses to Mixed Meals in Subjects With NIDDM

It has been demonstrated that carbohydrate-rich foods result in different plasma glucose responses when eaten alone by normal subjects and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). This study was designed to test if the glycemic response to mixed meals can be altered by selecting carbohydrate-rich foods based on their glycemic potency. Consequently, three test meals were developed that should have yielded high-, intermediate-, and low-glycemic responses based on the published glycemic index of all the carbohydrate foods in the meals. The test meals were consumed by normal individuals and patients with NIDDM, and the resultant plasma glucose and insulin responses were determined. The results indicated that the plasma glucose responses after the meals did not vary as a function of their glycemic potency in either the normal or NIDDM subjects. There were no significant differences in the plasma insulin responses for either group. These results indicate that the plasma glucose response to mixed meals did not vary as a function of the calculated glycemic potencies. Therefore, the glycemic response to a mixed meal was not predicted on the basis of the published values of the glycemic index of the individual carbohydrate foods included in the meal.