METABOLIC EFFECTS OF CHESTNUTS IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETICS - ROLE OF THE METHOD OF COOKING

Twenty-one non-insulin-dependent diabetics consumed on separate days a nd under the same conditions isoglucidic amounts of white bread and of roast or boiled chestnuts. Plasma glucose, triglyceride and insulin c oncentrations were measured before as well as at regular time interval s after the meals. It was found that roast chestnuts produced signific antly less postprandial hyperglycaemia than white bread, whereas no si gnificant difference existed between white bread and boiled chestnuts (means +/- SD glycaemic indexes were 88.4 +/- 11.8 and 10 1.2 +/- 9.0 for roast and boiled in chestnuts respectively, P<0.05). The differenc e in blood glucose response following consumption of roast and boiled chestnuts is probably due to the different physical form, which depend s on the method of cooking.