A RANDOMIZED, BLINDED TRIAL OF UNCOOKED CORNSTARCH TO DIMINISH NOCTURNAL HYPOGLYCEMIA AT DIABETES CAMP

Objective: To determine if uncooked cornstarch, as part of the evening snack, can avert nocturnal hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes. Research Design and Methods: Fifty-one campers and counselors at the American D iabetes Association Camp in San Bernardino, CA were randomly assigned to receive 5 g of uncooked cornstarch as part of the 21:00 evening sna ck vs. a standard snack of equivalent carbohydrate content. Each snack was given for five nights and the participants and medical personnel were blinded as to assignment. Midnight and 07:00 finger stick blood g lucose levels were compared with values < 60 mg/dl defined as hypoglyc emia and values > 250 mg/dl defined as hyperglycemia. Results: There w ere 218 midnight and 222 07:00 values for comparison. There were six e pisodes of hypoglycemia at midnight and nine episodes of hypoglycemia at 07:00 for the cornstarch snack nights vs. 30 hypoglycemia episodes at midnight and 21 at 07:00 for the standard snack nights (P < 0.001 a nd < 0.05, respectively). There was no difference in the number of hyp erglycemic events at midnight or 07:00 for the cornstarch vs. standard snack nights. At midnight, 12% of campers had hypoglycemia after the cornstarch snack vs. 46% after the standard snack (P < 0.001), and at 07:00, 16% had hypoglycemia after cornstarch vs. 26% after the standar d snack (P = 0.327). Conclusions: These data suggest that uncooked cor nstarch, as part of the evening snack, can diminish the nighttime and morning hypoglycemia associated with type 1 diabetes, without causing hyperglycemia.