Postprandial glycemic response in a non-diabetic adult population: the effect of nutrients is different between men and women

Abstract

Background There is a growing interest in the pathopysiological consequences of postprandial hyperglycemia. It is well known that in diabetic patients 2 h plasma glucose is a better risk predictor for coronary heart disease than fasting plasma glucose. Data on the glycemic response in healthy people are scarce. Objective To evaluate the effect of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) and fiber on postprandial glycemic response in an observational study of a non-diabetic adult population. Design Cross-sectional study. 150 non-diabetic adults performed continuous glucose monitoring for 6 days. During this period they recorded food and beverage intake. The participants were instructed not to make changes in their usual diet and physical exercise. Variables analyzed included clinical parameters (age, sex, body weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure, and waist measurement), meal composition (calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and fiber) and glycemic postprandial responses separated by sexes. The study period was defined from the start of dinner to 6 h later. Results A total of 148 (51% women) subjects completed all study procedures. Dinner intake was higher in males than in females (824 vs 531 kcal). Macronutrient distribution was similar in both sexes. No significant differences were found in fiber intake between men and women (5.5 g vs 4.5 g). In both sexes, the higher intake of carbohydrates corresponded to a significantly higher glycemic response ( p = 0.0001 in women, p = 0.022 in men). Moreover, in women, as fat intake was higher, a flattening of the postprandial glycemic curve was observed ( p = 0.003). With respect to fiber, a significantly lower glycemic response was observed in the group of women whose fiber intake at dinner was higher ( p = 0.034). Conclusions Continuous glucose monitoring provides important information about glucose levels after meals. In this study, the postprandial glycemic response in women was different from that of men, and carbohydrates were the main determinant of elevated postprandial glucose levels.

Suitability of continuous glucose monitoring in healthy subjects to detect effects of meal sequences and nutritional content of meals on postprandial glycemic responses

“…The delayed glycemic response and low peak after TM "slow" with high fat content matches with our previous analysis in 2007 (18) and another study result focusing on the impact of dietary fat in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (27). Moreover, compared to TM "fast", TM "slow" contained more ber, which is reported to increase gastrointestinal content, decrease the gastric emptying rate and reduce the glucose absorption rate (15,33).…”

Optimal Cutoff Value of 1-Hour Postload Glucose to Identify Insulin Resistance in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

“…In the normal population, postprandial glucose concentrations are known to peak 60 min after the start of a meal, and return to preprandial levels within 2-3 hours [11,12]. Hulman et al [29] reported that glucose curves varied greatly between classes, with peaks occurring after 32-61 min in clinically healthy participants.…”

“…While postprandial glucose concentrations peak 60 min after a meal in the normal population, they generally do not peak until approximately 2 hours after a meal in patients with diabetes [11]. Thus, the measurement of glucose levels 2 hours after the start of a meal is practical in general [8] and 1-h postload glucose (1-h PG) level during OGTT has been overlooked thus far compared to fasting and 2-h postload glucose (2-h PG) levels, except in specific clinical conditions such as gestational diabetes [12].…”

Working Hypothesis for Glucose Metabolism and SARS-CoV-2 Replication: Interplay Between the Hexosamine Pathway and Interferon RF5 Triggering Hyperinflammation. Role of BCG Vaccine?

“…In summary, the HBP-GlcNAc-OGT–IRF5-interferon-SARS-CoV-2 pathway may have important implications regarding direct or indirect specific molecular targets for BCG activity ( Figure 1 ). Importantly, dietary specific indications for low glycemic index diets ( 51 , 52 ) instead of general dietary recommendations for COVID-19 infected individuals and/or at risk of infection may seem appropriate. This is supported by the hypothetical association between the large postprandial glucose peaks after daily meals, the HBP-GlcNAc-OGT–IRF5-interferon pathway and subjects with dysglycemia, adipose tissue dysfunction and low-grade subclinical inflammation at risk for severe COVID-19 infection.…”