The effect of the glycaemic response of three commonly consumed meals on postprandial plasma glucose in type 2 diabetics at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu

Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluated the glycaemic response of three commonly consumed meals, and the resultant effect on postprandial plasma glucose response in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.

Design: This was an experimental study on 100 consenting type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who were on medical nutrition therapy only, attending the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital medical outpatient clinic between May 2012 and March 2013.

Subjects and setting: One hundred non-diabetic healthy University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital workers served as the control. Participants consumed served portions of each meal containing 50 g of glycaemic carbohydrate. Only the control consumed 50 g glucose to establish glycaemic response. The three test meals comprised pap and bambara nut pudding; meat and okro soup with fermented cassava dough; and meat, beans and corn pottage with spinach.

Outcome measures: Plasma glucose was measured quarter hourly, for two hours, from which glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) values were calculated per serving.

Results: Two meals, namely meat, beans and corn pottage with spinach; and pap and bambara nut pudding; provided a lower glycaemic response and reduced postprandial plasma glucose peak compared to meat and okro soup with fermented cassava dough at 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes in non-diabetic and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (p-value < 0.050). The lowest GI and GL values per serving were attributed to the meat, beans and corn pottage with spinach (33.00 ± 1.25 and 4.76 ± 0.67), while the highest respective values were found for the meat and okro soup with fermented cassava dough (74.50 ± 4.91 and 21.59 ± 1.06).

Conclusion: Compared to the other two meals, the meal of meat, beans and corn pottage with spinach resulted in a lower glycaemic response, reduced postprandial plasma glucose in non-diabetic and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, and constituted a healthy alternative to the other two.

Keywords: glycaemic, postprandial plasma glucose, diabetics, Nigeria