Glycaemic response of traditional breakfast foods in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Traditional Sri Lankan breakfast foods such as rotti, pittu, thosai, hopper and wandu made using 100% rice flour (RF) or 25% soy flour and 75% rice flour mixture (SFRF), alone or mixed with a mixed vegetable curry were tested for their available carbohydrate content (ACH) and Glycaemic index (GI). The mixed vegetable curry was prepared with Solanum melongena (eggplant), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Cucurbita maxima (pumpkin) and Ipomoea aquatica (kankun/water spinach). Rotti, pittu, thosai, hopper and wandu were analyzed for their ACH content by Megazyme assay kit. A total of 12, type 2 diabetic subjects participated in the GI study. The ACH of rotti, pittu, thosai, hopper and wandu made with RF were 45.2, 45.3, 41.8, 43.7 and 40.2 g/100g respectively without the curry, and 33.7, 35.0, 31.3, 32.9 and 28.2 g/100g with the vegetable mixed curry. The ACH of rotti, pittu, thosai, hopper and wandu made with SFRF were 28.5, 28.0, 25.5, 29.0 and 23.0 g/100g respectively without the curry, and 22.5, 25.9, 21.8, 24.0 and 20.4 g/100g with the vegetable mixed curry. Addition of vegetable mixed curry showed significant reduction (p<0.05) in ACH content of all test meals. GI of rotti, pittu, thosai, hopper and wandu made with SFRF were 54.4, 51.4, 50.1, 49.3 and 45.1 respectively and hence could be considered as low GI foods. The present study showed that substitution of rice flour with 25% soy flour in a mixed meal reduced the post prandial blood glucose response in diabetics. Consumption of rotti, pittu, thosai, hopper and wandu made with SFRF and mixed vegetable curry together might be beneficial in the dietary management of type 2 diabetes.