Assessment of the metabolic effects of dietary carbohydrate and fibre by measuring urinary excretion of C-peptide.

An assessment of the metabolic effect of dietary carbohydrate on daily insulin secretion, reflected by the 24-h urine output of C-peptide, has been made. Urinary C-peptide excretion increased when the carbohydrate intake of 6 normal subjects was increased from 200 to 400 g. A high-fibre diet rich in beans and lentils caused a significant fall in urine C-peptide and a lowering of blood glucose values in both normal and diabetic subjects. This confirms the insulin-sparing effect of leguminous foods. An increase of dietary fibre to 50 g mainly as cereal fibre did not significantly alter urine C-peptide excretion in normal subjects. Urinary C-peptide estimations could be useful for assessing the effect of different diets on daily insulin secretion.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes