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Considerable temporal variability in glucose reference curves in humans for a year period.
Alison J Wallace1, Sarah L Eady, Russell S Scott
1New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, New Zealand. wallaceaj@crop.cri.nz
Nutrition Research (New York, N.Y.)
|December 17, 2008
Summary
This study found that while individual glucose-response curves show variability over time, Glycemic Glucose Equivalent (GGE) values for foods can be reliably categorized into low, medium, or high groups, even with less frequent curve measurements.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Metabolic Health
- Dietary Assessment
Background:
- Glycemic Glucose Equivalent (GGE) quantifies the blood glucose impact of foods.
- Accurate GGE calculation relies on stable glucose-response curves.
- Temporal stability of these curves and their impact on GGE estimates is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the year-long stability of an individual's glucose-response curve.
- To evaluate the consistency of GGE estimates for 10 foods over time.
- To determine the impact of glucose-response curve variability on GGE categorization.
Main Methods:
- 16 healthy individuals underwent repeated measurements of blood glucose response to standardized glucose loads and 10 foods over 12 months.
- Capillary blood glucose was monitored at frequent intervals post-consumption.
- Slopes and intercepts of glucose curves were analyzed, and GGE values for foods were calculated and compared across measurement points.
Main Results:
- Significant temporal variability was observed in the slope (30% CV) and intercept (40% CV) of individual glucose-response curves.
- Despite curve variability, GGE values for 9 out of 10 foods consistently fell into the same low, medium, or high category across all measurements.
- Categorization provided a more stable classification than exact GGE values.
Conclusions:
- Exact GGE values necessitate frequent (e.g., quarterly) recalibration of glucose-response curves due to inherent temporal variability.
- General GGE categorization (low, medium, high) offers a more robust approach, potentially allowing for less frequent curve assessments.
- This suggests a practical method for dietary assessment where broad glycemic impact classification is sufficient.
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