Consideration of the validity of glycemic index using blood glucose and insulin levels and breath hydrogen excretion in healthy subjects

Although glycemic index [GI] is very important in choosing appropriate foods for patients with diabetes mellitus, GI itself does not provide sufficient information for choosing adequate foods. The validity of GI is considered by measurement of blood glucose and insulin levels, and breath hydrogen excretion, testing several cultivars in the same type food. Twelve females, 23.8 y participated in this within-subject, repeated-measures study. To clarify variations in GI in inter-cultivars of various foods, we examined four white rice and three potato cultivars and three noodle brands. Starchy-foods with a glucose equivalent of 50 g were repeatedly and randomly given to each subject. Blood and end-expiration were collected at selected periods. The significant difference of GI and insulinemic index [II] was not observed among the four white rice cultivars, though II of one cultivar were smaller than those of other three white rice cultivars. GI of three potato cultivars was relatively small, but the range of II was very large among three cultivars. Moreover, GI did not correspond to II among three noodle brands. AUC-3 h-glucose and ALJC-3 h-insulin scores of white rice and noodle were significantly larger than those for 2 h. The amount of breath hydrogen excretion showed a negative correlation to GI of tested foods. We should recognize that rare foods in which GI does not correspond to II exist in the cultivar of foods used for diet therapy of diabetes mellitus. We propose the addition of other information such as II and breath hydrogen excretion of selected foods

PREBIOTIC EFFECT OF DAILY FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDE INTAKE ON WEIGHT GAIN AND REDUCTION OF ACUTE DIARRHEA AMONG CHILDREN IN A BANGLADESH URBAN SLUM: A Randomized Double-masked Placebo-controlled Study

Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) is a typical prebiotic agent. A randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the prebiotic effect of daily intake of an isotonic solution containing FOS on body weight gain and the reduction of diarrhea in children in an urban slum in Bangladesh over six consecutive months. We enrolled a total of 150 children, aged 25-59 months. Sixty-four children in the FOS group received 50 mL of isotonic solution with 2 g of FOS added, and 69 children in the placebo group were given an identical solution with 1 g of glucose added, once a day. The measurement of body weight was carried out every other day; height and arm circumference were measured once a month; and the children‘s mothers were interviewed to obtain data about diarrhea, the consistency and constitution of stool, other symptoms, and antibiotic treatment. As a result, the body weight gain during the six-month period was 0.86±0.55 kg in the FOS group and 0.89±0.48 kg in the placebo group, while the increase in height and arm circumference were not significantly different between the two groups. The number of diarrhea episodes during the six-month period was not significantly different. A significant reduction in the duration of diarrhea days and of duration per episode was observed in the FOS group (<i>p</i>=0.039 and <i>p</i>=0.008, respectively). In conclusion, daily intake of FOS was associated neither with the children‘s growth nor with the number of diarrhea episodes, but a significant reduction in the duration of diarrhea days was observed. Further studies are needed to confirm the effects of FOS by changing the doses and eliminating the influence of antibiotics.