RESUMO
@#Introduction: Finger millet (FM) or Eleusine coracana L. is considered as a healthier cereal option, especially based on its higher dietary fibre, phytochemical and mineral contents. FM is also recommended for individuals with diabetes, as it is believed to elicit a lower glycaemic response. Methods: The glycaemic response of FM diet was evaluated and compared with white rice (WR) diets using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS™) iPro 2™ among 14 healthy male and female volunteers aged 25-45 years with normal Body Mass Index (≥22.9kg/m2) in a crossover trial. They were recruited from Madras Diabetes Research Foundation volunteers registry. The participants consumed randomised iso-caloric FM or WR based diets for five consecutive days and 24 h interstitial glucose concentrations were recorded. Results: The FM diet had significantly higher dietary fibre than WR (29.9 g vs 15.8 g/1000 kcal, p<0.01) but the other macronutrients were similar. The 5-day average incremental area under the curve (IAUC) of FM diet [Mean (95% CI) = 73.6 (62.1-85.1) mg*min/dl] was not significantly different from that for WR diet [Mean (95% CI) = 78.3(67.9-88.7) mg*min/dl]. Conclusion: Both finger millet and white rice diets showed similar 24 h glycaemic responses, despite the former having higher amounts of dietary fibre. The result suggests that use of FM flour-based food preparations and decorticated FM grains to replace WR in the Indian diets offer no significant benefit with regards to 24 h glycaemic response. Studies of longer duration with larger sample size are needed to verify our findings.
RESUMO
The nutrition transition occurring in the World Health Organization South-EastAsia Region, as a result of rapid urbanization and economic development, hasperhaps made this region one of the epicentres of the diabetes epidemic. Thisreview attempts to evaluate the role of diet and physical inactivity in the South-EastAsia Region in promoting this epidemic and points to strategies to slow it downby lifestyle modification. The emerging new food-production technologies andsupermarkets have made energy-dense foods more easily available. This includesrefined carbohydrate foods like those with added sugars, and refined grainsand unhealthy fats. In addition, increased availability of modern technology andmotorized transport has led to decreased physical activity. South Asian diets tendto be based on high-carbohydrate foods, with a predominance of refined grains.All of these accentuate the risk of diabetes in people of this region, who alreadyhave a unique “south Asian phenotype”. However, there is increasing evidencethat altering diet by replacing refined cereals like white rice with whole grains (e.g.brown rice) and increasing physical activity can help to prevent diabetes in highrisk individuals. An urgent, concerted effort is now needed to improve diet qualityand encourage physical activity, by introducing changes in policies related to foodand built environments, and improving health systems to tackle noncommunicablediseases like diabetes.
