The effect of high carbohydrate diet on glucose tolerance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The effect of high carbohydrate (hc) diet on glucose tolerance and on lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is contradicted. Japanese patients with mild type 2 diabetes mellitus were allocated either 55% standard carbohydrate (sc) or 80% high carbohydrate diets for 1 week, and OGTT and lipid profiles were examined. Then the diet was crossed over for another week, and OGTT and other identical parameters were re-evaluated. High carbohydrate diet improved the area under the glucose concentration-time curve (AUG) in 16/24 patients, and significantly increased and decreased 1,5-anhydroglucitol and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-R) as a whole, respectively. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) hc/sc ratio was inversely correlated with HOMA-R on a standard carbohydrate diet. High carbohydrate diet significantly decreased LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, whereas it significantly increased triglyceride. Furthermore, hc/sc ratios of the lipid parameters were inversely correlated with the respective parameters on standard carbohydrate diet. The present study indicates that high carbohydrate diet improved glucose tolerance depending on patients and the improvement in FPG was predicted by HOMA-R on a standard carbohydrate diet. The effect of high carbohydrate diet on glucose tolerance and lipid profiles should be investigated through a long-term study in the future.