BACKGROUND

Data on the blood glucose response of diabetic patients to mixed meals containing food both rich in fiber and with a low glycemic index, such as dried peas, is scarce. Thus, the extent to which type 2 diabetic patients should take into account low-glycemic, high-fiber foods for their daily carbohydrate intake is uncertain.

OBJECTIVE

We compared the glycemic and insulinemic responses to 3 different meals based on dried peas, potatoes, or both in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing dietary treatment.

METHODS

The meals, prepared according to local recipes and consumed at weekly intervals in random order at lunchtime, contained comparable amounts of carbohydrate, fat, protein, and water. The carbohydrate source of the meals differed and was supplied from either dried peas (meal 1), potatoes (meal 3), or a combination thereof (meal 2). Peripheral and venous blood was sampled over 180 min.

RESULTS

The increases in postprandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were delayed and significantly smaller after the pea meal than after the potato meal. The areas under the glucose curve were 164 +/- 40, 257 +/- 57, and 381 +/- 40 mmol x 180 min/L for meals 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P < 0.01). The areas under the insulin curve were 13.8 +/- 4.3, 15.4 +/- 3.9, and 31.2 +/- 6.9 nmol x 180 min/L, respectively (P = 0.0514).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that carbohydrates in dried peas may be largely disregarded in carbohydrate counting and that type 2 diabetic patients should probably increase their consumption of low-glycemic, high-fiber foods at the expense of high-glycemic, low-fiber foods.