Puzzling topics: Pre-diabetes tests, fish oil

Nutritionist responds to readers' questions Puzzling topics: Pre-diabetes tests, fish oil

Date published: 3/20/2005

QYour interesting article on pre-diabetes did not indicate what are normal and what are pre-diabetes blood-sugar levels. I would appreciate knowing.

J.G.G.

Fredericksburg

AThe normal levels depend on which pre-diabetes test you take. There are two types of pre-diabetes--impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance--and your doctor can do blood tests for both.

Impaired fasting glucose means a person's blood sugar is higher than normal, even after they haven't eaten overnight. In general, a fasting blood sugar less than 100 is normal, 100 to 125 is impaired fasting glucose, and 126 and higher may be diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The test for impaired glucose tolerance involves a person drinking a special sugary solution and having blood drawn before the test, and then again one and two hours after the drink. In this case, blood glucose less than 140 is normal; 140 to 199 indicates impaired glucose tolerance; and blood glucose of 200 or above may indicate diabetes. Usually, abnormal results are confirmed by repeating the test on another day.

The treatment for both types of pre-diabetes is the same: physical activity, excess weight loss and a balanced diet. Meals with moderate amounts of high-fiber carbohydrates, healthy fats and proteins can reduce the risk of developing full-blown diabetes.

QDo you know the glycemic index numbers for maltitol, soy flour, soy protein and chickpeas?

J.G.

Brooklyn, N.Y.

AThe glycemic index measures how quickly 100 grams of carbohydrates from a food raise blood sugar.

Chickpeas have a low glycemic index, between 10 and 43, depending on the brand and preparation. Maltitol, an artificial sweetener, has a glycemic index of 73, according to glycemicindex.com, powered by the University of Sydney in Australia.

I could not find glycemic index lists for soy flour. I would not expect soy protein to be listed, since protein and fats do not significantly affect blood sugar.

That said, I don't think the glycemic index is useful alone. Some healthy foods, such as carrots, have a high glycemic index. However, since carrots aren't particularly high in carbohydrates, you'd have to eat a few cups of carrots to raise your blood sugar as much as a slice of white bread would raise it.

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Date published: 3/20/2005