Effect of Carbohydrate Ingestion on the Glycemic Response of Type 1 Diabetic Adolescents During Exercise
- Claudia Perrone, MSC12,
- Orlando Laitano, BSC1 and
- Flávia Meyer, PHD1
- 1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- 2Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Orlando Laitano, Escola de Educação Física–LAPEX, Rua Felizardo, 750, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 90690-200. E-mail: lionello{at}terra.com.br
Ingestion of a drink containing sufficient carbohydrates can result in avoidance of exercise-induced hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetic individuals. In a previous study (1), we analyzed the effect of ingesting a drink with 6% carbohydrate (0.636 g/kg) on blood glucose concentration in type 1 diabetic adolescents during 60 min of moderate exercise and after 30 min of recovery. At the end of the trial, blood glucose concentration was reduced by 21 mg/dl.
Drink concentrations of >6% carbohydrate may help to prevent blood glucose reduction during exercise in type 1 diabetic subjects. However, the increased osmolality of high-carbohydrate drinks may cause gastrointestinal distress (2). This study aimed to determine whether carbohydrate solutions (8 and 10%) could prevent exercise blood glucose drops and to examine the gastrointestinal symptoms in type 1 diabetic adolescents.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Sixteen subjects (10 males and 6 females, age 16.1 ± 0.6 years, weight 62.8 ± 9.8 kg, height 168.3 ± 13.6 cm) volunteered to participate in the study and provided written informed consent. The mean duration of the condition was 7.3 ± 0.01 years, HbA1c was 6.8 ± 3.3%, and there were no chronic complications. Subjects were taking intermediate-acting or ultralong-acting insulin. The ethical committee of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre approved the study.
Both drinks were prepared by adding glucose and fructose to a solution with 4% sucrose and 2% …
