Determination of the glycemic index of steamed cakes using two different legumes 'bambara nut (Vigna subterranean) and cowpea (Vigina unguiculata)'

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the blood glucose response and glycemic index of food for diabetics
and non-diabetics. The subjects comprised of 10 diabetics and 7 non-diabetics. The results of the physical
characteristics showed that the diabetic subjects were on the average older (age bracket between 51 and
70years) than the non-diabetics (18 and 23years) . The Body mass index (BMI) values indicated that over 90% of
the diabetics were obese while the non-diabetics were on the average normal. Results also showed that the
blood glucose response of the diabetics were significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of the non- diabetics. When
fed on the test diets (“okpa” and “moin–moin”), the blood glucose response was significantly reduced when
compared to bread diet for both diabetics and non-diabetics. The results further indicated that the blood glucose
response was better with “okpa” than with “moin–moin”, suggesting that “okpa” is a better diet for diabetic
patients. The glycemic index values for “okpa” and “moin–moin” were 78 and 38 respectively for the nondiabetics while the values were 59 and 66 respectively, for the diabetics indicating that “okpa” is a better diet for
the diabetics.