Glycaemic responses to liquid food supplements among three Asian ethnic groups.

Siew Ling Tey,Ardy Van Helvoort,Christiani Jeyakumar Henry

doi:10.1007/s00394-015-1072-1

Abstract

Purpose A limited number of studies have compared the glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic responses (GR) to solid foods between Caucasians and Asians. These studies have demonstrated that Asians have greater GI and GR values for solid foods than Caucasians. However, no study has compared the GI and GR to liquids among various Asian ethnic groups.MethodsA total of forty-eight males and females (16 Chinese, 16 Indians, and 16 Malay) took part in this randomised, crossover study. Glycaemic response to the reference food (glucose beverage) was measured on three occasions, and GR to three liquids were measured on one occasion each. Liquids with different macronutrient ratio’s and carbohydrate types were chosen to be able to evaluate the response to products with different GIs. Blood glucose concentrations were measured in duplicate at baseline (−5 and 0 min) and once at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after the commencement of beverage consumption.ResultsThere were statistically significant differences in GI and GR between the three liquids (P < 0.01 in all cases). However, there were no statistically significant differences in GI and GR for the liquids between the ethnic groups (Chinese vs. Indian vs. Malay).ConclusionThe GR for three different types of liquid nutritional supplements did not differ between the three main ethnic groups in Asia. It appears that the GI of liquid food derived from one Asian ethnicity can be applicable to other Asian populations.

Highlights

Asia is currently experiencing a near exponential growth in diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance incidence rates
It appears that the glycaemic index (GI) of liquid food derived from one Asian ethnicity can be applicable to other Asian populations
This study is the first trial of its kind to compare the glycaemic responses to three beverages varying in composition between three major Asian ethnic groups, namely

Summary

Introduction

Asia is currently experiencing a near exponential growth in diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance incidence rates. It is estimated that by 2025, more than 60 % of the world’s population of diabetics will reside in Asia [1]. These statistics highlight the urgent need to further understand the Asian genotype and develop means of controlling this growing pandemic. Kataoka et al [3] reported that Chinese demonstrated significantly greater GR to several rice varieties compared with Europeans. Whilst this is possibly due to differences in insulin sensitivity and betacell function [4, 5], these studies show the importance of considering ethnic differences, especially in those living in

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion