EFFECT OF LOCAL DIETS WITH ADDED SUCROSE ON GLYCEMIC PROFILES OF HEALTHY AND DIABETIC BRAZILIAN SUBJECTS

Objective: We set out to determine the daily glycemic profile of healt hy and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) persons and to test the hypothesis that small amounts of sucrose added to NIDDM meals would not change their responses. Methods: Thirteen NIDDM and six hea lthy volunteers participated in the study. They initially consumed a d iet similar to their home diet and later a diabetic hospital dietary r egimen, with and without 30 g/day sugar replacing equivalent food ener gy. The hospital diet included their usual foods: bread, milk, rice, b eans, meat, vegetables and fruits at breakfast, lunch and dinner. To f ollow their glycemic profile we drew several blood samples during a 22 -hour period.Results: The day-long plasma glucose profile of the NIDDM and healthy subjects showed similar patterns, increasing after the me als and returning later to baseline levels. The extra amount of sucros e consumed did not change the daily glycemic profile or the calculated glycemic area under the 22-hour glycemic curves. These results call a ttention to the importance of the 22-hour glycemic profile compared to other shorter glycemic indexes. Conclusion: The 22-hour profile has o bvious advantage for planning day-long diabetic diets, taking in consi deration local daily foods and usual eating habits. Maintenance of a s mall and traditional amount of food, e.g., sucrose, without harmful ef fects to the subjects, is another advantage of this proposition. It im proves patient compliance as well as social daily life.