Effects of drinks consumed with low and high glycemic index meals on postprandial blood glucose in healthy individuals

Hyperglycemia develops as a result of impaired glucose regulation, including decreased insulin secretion, decreased glucose utilization, and increased glucose production. Although beverage consumption with meals is common, limited information is available on the effects of these beverages on postprandial serum glucose. This study was conducted to examine the effects of beverages consumed with low and high glycemic index meals on postprandial blood glucose in healthy individuals. The research was conducted with 7 healthy female and 7 male individuals who applied to a private nutrition and dietetics polyclinic, whose average age was 26.075.71 years, whose body mass index (BMI) was between 18.5-24.9 kg/m2, who had no disease and did not use medication. Before the research, anthropometric measurements of the participants, including weight and body components, height, waist and hip circumference, were taken using the bioelectrical impedance (BIA) method. The International Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ) was used to determine the physical activity levels of the participants, and retrospective 24-hour food consumption records were taken to evaluate the nutritional status. During the research, each participant was given a high glycemic index meal containing 22 g of white bread, 40 g of strawberry jam, and 60 g of dried dates for breakfast for the first 6 consecutive days, and 44 g of whole grain bread, 30 g of white cheese and 20 g of white cheese for the next 6 consecutive days. A low glycemic index meal containing g black olives was given. On the 1st and 7th days, the high and low glycemic meal, respectively, was consumed alone, without any beverage, in order to see its effect on serum glucose. On the following days of the research, 5 different beverages (water, Turkish coffee, soluble coffee, black tea and semi-skimmed milk) that were most frequently consumed with the breakfast meal were added to the meals given (For example, Turkish coffee with the high glycemic index meal on the 2nd day). No added sugar has been added to any beverages. Serum glucose measurements were made using the finger prick test method at certain intervals (15th, 30th, 45th, 60th, 90th and 120th minutes) for 2 hours, with the first measurement being taken when the participants finished their meal consumption. In all participants, consumption of water, black tea and semi-skimmed milk with a high glycemic index meal significantly reduced the serum glucose peak time and accelerated the peak to occur earlier than the meal with no beverage (p<0.05). Water consumption with a high glycemic index meal significantly increased the glucose increase rate compared to the reference (p<0.05). For all participants, the rate of glucose increase in soluble coffee consumed with a low glycemic index meal was significantly higher than in the meal without any beverage (p<0.05). As a result, beverages may alter the postprandial glycemic response of meals. Examining individuals' beverage consumption along with meals may help determine new approaches to keeping serum glucose levels within a healthy range.