COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF 2 WEEKS INTERVENTION WITH DIFFERENT MEALFREQUENCIES ON GLUCOSE-METABOLISM, INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND LIPID-LEVELS IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETIC-PATIENTS

Aims: To compare the effects of 2 weeks on different meal frequencies on glucose metabolism, lipid levels and 24-hour blood pressure in non- insulin-dependent diabetic subjects. Methods: Ten non-insulin-dependen t diabetic outpatients from Aarhus City participated in a crossover st udy design. None were treated with insulin. The patients were randomly allocated to two isoenergetic diets either taken as three or eight me als per day for 2 weeks each, At the end of each period, the diurnal b lood pressure and the responses to a test meal were measured. Furtherm ore, a hyperinsulinemic, euglycemic clamp was placed, Results: Both th e insulin sensitivity and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure were simil ar as were the responses of glucose, insulin and free fatty acids to a carbohydrate-rich test meal at the end of the two diet periods, The H DL-cholesterol level was lowest in response to the 8-meal diet (p = 0. 02), Conclusion: Increasing meal frequencies in a 2-week treatment per iod with weight-maintaining diets on an outpatient basis subdued the H DL-cholesterol levels but apparently had no impact on glucose metaboli sm or diurnal blood pressure in NIDDM subjects, These results give no indications of long-term beneficial effects of increasing the meal fre quency in NIDDM patients.