Biomaterial Database

Plasma glucose and insulin responses to traditional Pima Indian meals. 1990

J C Brand, and B J Snow, and G P Nabhan, and A S Truswell

Department of Biochemistry, University of Sydney, Australia.

The in vivo glycemic and insulin responses and in vitro starch digestibility were determined for six staple foods (corn, lima beans, white and yellow teparies, mesquite, and acorns) traditionally consumed by Pima Indians. Equivalent carbohydrate portions (25 g) of the foods were fed to eight healthy Caucasian volunteers. The calculated glycemic indices (GIs) (mean +/- SEM with glucose as the standard) were all low, ranging from 16 +/- 2 for acorns to 40 +/- 5 for corn. Insulin responses and in vitro starch digestibilities correlated with the GI. These results provide further support for the hypothesis that the slow digestion and absorption of starch in traditional foods was a factor that helped protect susceptible populations from developing diabetes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007198	Indians, North American	Members of indigenous North American populations with pre-colonial contact origins.	Amerinds, North American,Indigenous North Americans,American Indian, North,American, Indigenous North,Amerind, North American,Indian, North American,Indigenous North American,North American Amerind,North American Amerinds,North American Indian,North American Indians,North American, Indigenous
D007328	Insulin	A 51-amino acid pancreatic hormone that plays a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, directly by suppressing endogenous glucose production (GLYCOGENOLYSIS; GLUCONEOGENESIS) and indirectly by suppressing GLUCAGON secretion and LIPOLYSIS. Native insulin is a globular protein comprised of a zinc-coordinated hexamer. Each insulin monomer containing two chains, A (21 residues) and B (30 residues), linked by two disulfide bonds. Insulin is used as a drug to control insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 1).	Iletin,Insulin A Chain,Insulin B Chain,Insulin, Regular,Novolin,Sodium Insulin,Soluble Insulin,Chain, Insulin B,Insulin, Sodium,Insulin, Soluble,Regular Insulin
D007408	Intestinal Absorption	Uptake of substances through the lining of the INTESTINES.	Absorption, Intestinal
D001786	Blood Glucose	Glucose in blood.	Blood Sugar,Glucose, Blood,Sugar, Blood
D003920	Diabetes Mellitus	A heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by HYPERGLYCEMIA and GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE.
D004032	Diet	Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal.	Diets
D004040	Dietary Carbohydrates	Carbohydrates present in food comprising digestible sugars and starches and indigestible cellulose and other dietary fibers. The former are the major source of energy. The sugars are in beet and cane sugar, fruits, honey, sweet corn, corn syrup, milk and milk products, etc.; the starches are in cereal grains, legumes (FABACEAE), tubers, etc. (From Claudio & Lagua, Nutrition and Diet Therapy Dictionary, 3d ed, p32, p277)	Carbohydrates, Dietary,Carbohydrate, Dietary,Dietary Carbohydrate
D004041	Dietary Fats	Fats present in food, especially in animal products such as meat, meat products, butter, ghee. They are present in lower amounts in nuts, seeds, and avocados.	Fats, Dietary,Dietary Fat,Fat, Dietary
D004044	Dietary Proteins	Proteins obtained from foods. They are the main source of the ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS.	Proteins, Dietary,Dietary Protein,Protein, Dietary
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man