ABSTRACT
Cooked beans is a popular meal for most of the Egyptians. We aimed to study blood glucose and insulin response to a beans meal and the effect of adding oil and excess fibre. We studied 21 non-insulin dependent diabetic patients [in 2 groups], and 10 controls. An oral carbohydrate tolerance curve was performed for all patients and controls using 480 gm of cooked beans [equivalent to 75 gm carbohydrates]. On the next day the curve was repeated after addition of 3 table spoonfuls of corn oil [58 gm] in group I [11 patients] and in controls or 2.84 gm of dietary fibre in group II [10 patients]. Beans were eaten with 160 gm whole meal bread. Compared to the values before the addition of oil, the mean percent increment rise of glucose and insulin after addition of oil, was not significant in diabetics [group, I] or controls [except at 120 and 180 minutes in controls]. In group II diabetics there was significant reduction in the values of percent increment rise of blood glucose and insulin at 60 and 90 minutes after the addition of the fibre diet if compared to the respective values without the fibre diet. In conclusion, corn oil is not harmful to diabetics and adding fibres to complex carbohydrate meals improves metabolic control