Effect of adding guar to some Nigerian meals on postprandial plasma glucose levels in non-insulin dependent diabetics

ABSTRACT

"The objective of this study was to determine the effect of adding a commercial fibre preparation to some common Nigerian meals on the plasma glucose response (PGR). Three popular Nigerian meals - yam flour (""amala""); rice; and cassava flour (""eba"") - were studied in non-insulin dependent diabetics by monitoring the PGR postprandially. Addition of guar resulted in varying degrees of suppression of PGR in the three meals tested. The differences between meals with guar and without guar in PGR indices were only significantly different in subjects who consumed the cassava flour preparation. It appears from this study that fibre-enrichment of some African diets can have beneficial effects in the control of diabetes in the African at least in the short term."