Reducing the glycemic index or carbohydrate content of mixed meals reduces postprandial glycemia and insulinemia over the entire day but does not affect satiety.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the effects of mixed meals differing in glycemic index (GI) and carbohydrate content on postprandial serum glucose and insulin response, hunger, and satiety over the course of a 12-h day.


METHODS
In this randomized crossover trial, 26 overweight or obese adults received four diets in random order (high GI, high carbohydrate [HGI-HC]; high GI, low carbohydrate [HGI-LC]; low GI, high carbohydrate [LGI-HC]; and low GI, low carbohydrate [LGI-LC]). All meals were prepared by a metabolic kitchen. Participants received breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the course of a 12-h day. Primary outcomes were postprandial serum glucose and insulin quantified as area under the curve. Hunger, fullness, and satiety were assessed by visual analog scale.


RESULTS
The HGI-LC, LGI-HC, and LGI-LC diets significantly reduced glucose and insulin area under the curve compared with the HGI-HC diet (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). There were no significant differences in ratings of hunger, fullness, or satiety between the different dietary treatments.


CONCLUSIONS
Reducing the GI or carbohydrate content of mixed meals reduces postprandial glycemia and insulinemia, and these changes can be sustained over the course of an entire day. However, there were no differences in subjective hunger and satiety ratings between the diets. These results demonstrate that maintaining a low GI or glycemic load diet is an effective method of controlling serum glucose and insulin levels.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Ann G
AG
Liu
Marlene M
MM
Most
Meghan M
MM
Brashear
William D
WD
Johnson
William T
WT
Cefalu
Frank L
FL
Greenway
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D038321:Glycemic Index; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019518:Postprandial Period; D012527:Satiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
D001786:Blood Glucose; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D007328:Insulin