Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing Using Candy: A Sweet Solution to Improve Screening in Children with Cystic Fibrosis?

Abstract

Oral glucose tolerance testing is recommended for all children with CF older than 9 years, yet compliance remains poor across centers. We performed a small pilot study assessing the glycemic curves and participant satisfaction in seven children and adolescents. We chose a dextrose-based candy (Nerds®) free of any fat, fiber, gelatin, or corn syrup and performed the candy OGTT 1-4 days following the standard oral dextrose solution OGTT. Glucose values at 120 min were similar between the candy and oral dextrose solution (p = 0.8986). Our small pilot suggests that a carefully selected candy alternative may result in similar glycemic OGTT when compared to the standard oral dextrose solution. However, some participants preferred the oral dextrose solution to candy due to having to consume a large volume in a short period of time. This may have significant implications as centers consider candy alternatives to increase OGTT adherence rates.