Bedtime uncooked cornstarch supplement prevents nocturnal hypoglycaemia in intensively treated type 1 diabetes subjects

Authors: Axelsen M.; Wesslau C.; Lönnroth P.; Lenner R.A.; Smith U.

Source: Journal of Internal Medicine, Volume 245, Number 3, March 1999 , pp. 229-236(8)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Abstract. Axelsen M, Wesslau C, Lönnroth P, Arvidsson Lenner R, Smith U (Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg University, Sweden). Bedtime uncooked cornstarch supplement prevents nocturnal hypoglycaemia in intensively treated IDDM subjects. J Intern Med 1999; 245: 229–36.

The present study tests two interrelated hypotheses: (1) that bedtime ingestion of uncooked cornstarch exerts a lower and delayed nocturnal blood glucose peak compared with a conventional snack; (2) that bedtime carbohydrate supplement, administered as uncooked cornstarch, prevents nocturnal hypoglycaemia without altering metabolic control in intensively treated type 1 diabetes (IDDM) patients.

and subjects. The above hypotheses were tested separately (1) by pooling and analysing data from two overnight studies of comparable groups of patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (14 and 10 patients, respectively), and (2) by a double-blind, randomized 4-week cross-over study in 12 intensively treated IDDM patients.

Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.

(1) Ingestion of uncooked cornstarch and wholemeal bread (0.6 g of carbohydrates kg^-1 body weight) and carbohydrate-free placebo at 22.00 h. (2) Intake of uncooked cornstarch (0.3 g kg^-1 body weight) and carbohydrate-free placebo at 23.00 h.

(1) Nocturnal glucose and insulin levels; (2) frequency of self-estimated hypoglycaemia (blood glucose [BG] levels < 3.0 mmol L^-1) at 03.00 h, HbA_1c and fasting lipids.

Bedtime uncooked cornstarch ingestion led to a lower (2.9 ± 0.5 vs. 5.2 ± 0.6 mm, P = 0.01) and delayed (4.3 ± 0.6 vs. 2.0 ± 0.0 h, P < 0.01) BG peak, compared with a conventional snack, in NIDDM patients. Four weeks of bedtime uncooked cornstarch supplement, as compared with placebo, led to a 70% reduction in the frequency of self-estimated hypoglycaemia at 03.00 h (P < 0.05), without affecting HbA1c or fasting lipids in IDDM patients.

Uncooked cornstarch, ingested at bedtime, mimicked the nocturnal glucose utilization profile following insulin replacement, with a peak in blood glucose after 4 h. In IDDM patients, bedtime uncooked cornstarch supplement diminished the number of self-estimated hypoglycaemic episodes, without adversely affecting HbA1c and lipid levels. Hence, bedtime uncooked cornstarch ingestion may be feasible to prevent a mid-nocturnal glycaemic decline following insulin replacement in IDDM and, based on the nocturnal blood glucose profile, may also be preferable compared with conventional snacks.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1999-03-01

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• In this Subject: Internal Medicine
• By this author: Axelsen M. ;  Wesslau C. ;  Lönnroth P. ;  Lenner R.A. ;  Smith U.

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