title: Plasma glucose and insulin responses to bananas of varying ripeness in persons with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
abstract: With progressive ripeness there is a decrease in starch and an increase in free sugar content of bananas. The starch also is considered to be poorly digestible. Therefore, we decided to study plasma glucose, serum insulin, C-peptide, and plasma glucagon responses to bananas with increasing degrees of ripeness. Seven male subjects with untreated noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus ingested 50 g carbohydrate as bananas of stage 4 (more yellow than green), 5 (yellow with green tip), 6 (all yellow), and 7 (yellow flecked with brown) ripeness. They also received 50 glucose on two occasions for comparative purposes. On a separate occasion water only was given as a control. The area responses were quantified by determining incremental areas using the water control as baseline. The mean glucose area following the 50 g glucose meals was 15.1 +/- 1.9 mM.h. After the ingestion of bananas of 4, 5, 6 and 7 ripeness the glucose area response was 42, 41, 51 and 48% of that after glucose ingestion, respectively. The insulin area response following glucose meals was 888 pM.h. Responses to 4, 5, 6 and 7 bananas were 85, 70, 61, 85%, respectively, of that following glucose ingestion. C-peptide data were similar to the insulin data. The glucagon area response was negative after glucose ingestion but was positive following banana ingestion. In summary, the glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon area responses varied little with ripeness of the bananas.
authors.affiliation: Metabolic Research Laboratory, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, MN 55417.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.forename: F Q
authors.initials: FQ
authors.lastname: Nuttall
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gannon
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Burmeister
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Westphal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013213:Starch / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002096:C-Peptide; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D007328:Insulin; D013213:Starch