Relationship between Lipid Ingestion and Blood Glucose Metabolism

Background: It has been shown that the consumption of carbohydrates increases the glycemic response. The objective of our study was to demonstrate the effects of the glycemic index when carbohydrates were independently consumed and when carbohydrates and lipids were consumed jointly. Our findings indicate that the glycemic index was not significantly affected by the consumption of carbohydrates and lipids. Methods: Fifty-nine subjects were screened for a glucose tolerance test where the participants fasted overnight, 10-12 hours. Subjects obtained a fasting glucose level test in order to obtain their blood glucose baseline. The glucometer, ReliOn Ultima, model No. 66004-0122-05, was used to conduct the study. Once the baseline was obtained subjects were then given a bagel that contained 50 grams of carbohydrates. Participants obtained a blood glucose level every 30 minutes after the consumption of the bagel and were allowed to drink 8 oz. of water. In order to demonstrate the effects of lipid consumption in relation to the glycemic index response, subjects were given a tablespoon of cream cheese. The results were compared to fasting serum blood glucose. Results: Participants blood glucose level increased slower when given a tablespoon of cream cheese in conjunction with the 50 grams of carbohydrates. Conclusion: Our study concluded that the consumption of carbohydrates with lipids delayed the glycemic response. However, it does not significantly delay the response. A limiting factor in our study that may have contributed to our results was our experiments population size.