Effect of Fat on Rate of Availability of Orally Ingested Carbohydrate

Abstract

In a recent publication1 it was shown that the ingestion of rapidly available carbohydrates by diabetic patients using protamine zinc insulin, resulted in rapid rises and precipitous drops in blood sugar concentration. Such marked fluctuations in blood sugar concentration are no doubt responsible for many of the difficulties encountered in the clinical management of diabetes with protamine zinc insulin. A solution of this problem presents itself in the well-known property of fats in delaying gastro-intestinal activity. To test this hypothesis, 25 patients were given a standard amount of carbohydrate with and without fat. The banana was chosen because of its universal availability, standard composition, palatibility, and ability to be combined with cream.The patients chosen for this experiment were severe diabetics maintained with protamine zinc insulin exclusively. The tests were carried out in the post-absorptive state, and 24 hours after the last injection of protamine zinc insulin. Blood sugars were de...