Influence of resistant starch resulting from the cooling of rice on postprandial glycemia in type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Carbohydrates are one of the macronutrients which have the most substantial influence on glycemic response. The cooling of rice after cooking causes retrogradation of starch, which becomes a non-absorbable product in the human digestive tract. Aim of the study This study aimed to assess whether cooling of rice affects postprandial glycemia in subjects with type 1 diabetes. Materials and methods The study included 32 patients with type 1 diabetes. Each participant of the study consumed two standardized test meals consisting of long-grain white rice. One of the test meals was served immediately after preparation, and another was cooled for 24 h at 4 °C after preparation and reheated before being served. Postprandial glycemia was measured for 3 h using the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system for each patient. Results After consumption of the test meal containing rice subjected to the cooling process when compared to fresh rice, a significantly lower value of maximum glycemia (11 vs. 9.9 mmol/L, p = 0.0056), maximum glycemic increase (2.7 vs. 3.9 mmol/L, p < 0.0001), areas under the glycemic curve (135 vs. 336 mmol/L * 180 min, p < 0.0001) and significantly shorter time to peak (35 vs. 45 min, p = 0.031) was observed. There was a significantly higher number of hypoglycemic episodes among the patients after consuming test meals with cooled rice compared to fresh ones during 180 min of observation (12(38) vs. 3(9), p = 0.0039). Conclusions Consumption of rice subjected to the cooling process results in a lower increase of postprandial blood glucose in subjects with type 1 diabetes. At the same time it increases the risk of postprandial hypoglycemia using a standard insulin dose.