Carrot cake study on sugar in type 2 diabetes adds to new thinking on sugar in the diabetes diet

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Public release date: 8-Jan-2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/tsb-ccs010808.php

Contact: Dr. Alison Boyd

alison@...

44-5

The Sugar Bureau

Carrot cake study on sugar in type 2 diabetes

New study adds to new thinking on sugar in the diabetes diet

Patients with type 2 diabetes are often advised to cut out sucrose

(table sugar) all together. However, in recent years this traditional

advice has been questioned by some researchers who suggest that moderate

amounts of sugar can be safely consumed as part of the diet of patients

with diabetes. Now a new study has been published that is consistent

with this revised approach. It showed that patients who increased their

daily sugar intake (in the form of carrot cake) but maintained a stable

body weight, showed no adverse changes in their blood glucose.

The study was conducted by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at

London’s Hammersmith Hospital. Three slices of carrot cake were added to

the daily diets of nine, overweight type 2 diabetes patients over 24

days (bringing their daily total to 88g or 18 teaspoons of sugar).

Consumption of the carrot cake slices was evenly distributed across the

day. Several measurements were recorded at the beginning and end of the

study, including the patients’ weight, blood sugar (glucose) levels,

cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity (which is a measure of how

well the body responds to the hormone insulin).

Professor Frost, who led the study, explained ‘In this study, the

energy intake of these patients was balanced to their body weight, and

their sucrose intake was spread evenly over a day. Correspondingly, they

did not gain weight or show an increase in blood glucose levels at the

end of the study; in addition, their cholesterol levels and insulin

sensitivity did not change.’ He added ‘the results of this small,

short-term study support other scientific studies, which suggest that

there could be more flexibility with sucrose in the diets of patients

with type 2 diabetes. There is evidence from other studies (reviewed by

Kirk et al 2000) that inclusion of sucrose may help people to lower

their fat intake, which in turn may be beneficial to overall health’.

Professor Frost continued ‘This research is in line with the dietary

guidelines set by the American Diabetes Association (2007), which state

that sucrose does not cause a greater increase in blood glucose levels

than an equivalent amount of starch. Therefore sucrose or

sucrose-containing foods should be treated similarly to other

carbohydrate containing foods by people with diabetes; either

substituted for other carbohydrates in the total daily intake, or

managed with appropriate diabetes medication.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

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