Postprandial hyperglycemia after different carbohydrates in patients with total gastrectomy

Eating related difficulties and symptoms and postprandial serum glucose levels were studied in 11 patients (44 to 70 years old) five to 48 months after total gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction for carcinoma of the stomach with no signs of metastasis or residual tumor. Three tests were used. The first contained 150 milliliters of 50 per cent glucose alone, the second had 150 milliliters of 50 per cent glucose with 5 grams of guar gum (viscose dietary fiber) and the third was a vegetable meal containing 75 grams of glucose. All of the patients with total gastrectomy had eating related symptoms, such as dumping and difficulties with the large volume of a meal. They had to eat small meals and the most usually experienced postprandial symptoms were abdominal pain, nausea and faintness. The postprandial serum glucose level was highest after drinking glucose alone and the lowest after eating the vegetable meal (as the highest 9.4 +/- 2.0 and 6.2 +/- 1.6 millimole per liter, respectively, 50 minutes postprandially, p less than 0.01). Hyperglycemia was associated with nausea, sweating, faintness, reduction of blood pressure and increase of pulse rate. The large volume of the vegetable meal produced difficulties (dysphagia and abdominal distension) in eating for everyone except one patient. Guar gum eaten with glucose reduced the postprandial hyperglycemia near to the level found after the vegetable meal. Also, the symptoms experienced after glucose with guar gum reduced from that after glucose alone, five patients became symptomless. Four of these five patients have supplemented guar gum regularly for several months into their daily meals with the result of reduction of the postprandial subjective symptoms. The dose has been adjusted individually from 2 to 7 grams of guar gum three times daily. Loose stools and diarrhea may occur at the beginning. These are avoided by a gradual increase of the dose during an adaptation period of two weeks. Sometimes glucose with guar gum may result in hypoglycemia with prolonged symptoms after immediate hyperglycemia. It is concluded that guar gum gives a possibility to avoid the symptoms related to a large volume of a meal and to reduce those produced by a high glucose content of a meal in patients after total gastrectomy. Guar gum also works in practical prolonged use when the dose is estimated from postprandial symptoms.