Effect of consumption of finger millet on hyperglycemia in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects.

The effect of consumption of finger millet based diets on hyperglycemia was studied in 6 non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects. All the experimental diets were planned to be isocaloric and also to contain 75 g equivalent of carbohydrate load so that glycemic response could be compared with a 75 g glucose load. The glycemic response to breakfast items compared to that of glucose was determined by comparing the areas under the 2 hr glucose response curve. Consumption of finger millet based diets resulted in significantly lower plasma glucose levels, mean peak rise, and area under curve which might have been due to the higher fiber content of finger millet compared to rice and wheat. The lower glycemic response of whole finger millet based diets may also have been due to the presence of antinutritional factors in whole finger millet flour which are known to reduce starch digestibility and absorption.