Blood glucose responses to common Nigerian foods

Groups of 4 to 12 healthy Nigerian volunteers (15 men and 6 women) took test meals containing 50 g carbohydrate portions of six common Nigerian foods, namely boiled or roasted unripe plantain, boiled or roasted yam, boiled cocoyam, garri, boiled rice (polished) and boiled beans (cow pea). Oral glucose tolerance test using 50 g of glucose load was also performed on each subject. Both the mean peak level in blood glucose and the mean area under the glucose curve of the subjects who took boiled cocoyam, roasted yam, glucose and boiled plantains were high, whilst those who took boiled beans and garri were low. The results suggest that there are differences in blood glucose responses to equivalent amounts of different Nigerian carbohydrate loads. The mechanism for these differences is not clear. However the findings have obvious importance in formulating rational dietary or therapeutic goals for patients in whom carbohydrate restriction or lowering of blood glucose is necessary. The types of carbohydrates to be used should be specified and the method of preparation of the food should be taken into consideration.