Cornstarch
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Thursday, March 23, 2006 |
Q: "I keep hearing about the low-glycemic cornstarch that some companies are putting in their low carb food, but I haven’t found a producer or a marketing source........Is there such a thing?"
A: Several companies have designed diabetes snack bars containing uncooked cornstarch to aid in preventing hypoglycemia (especially at night) while lessening the rise in blood glucose after meals or snacks.
Uncooked cornstarch has been shown to break down in the body very slowly, meaning that it converts to glucose slowly, thus preventing the rapid rise in blood glucose, and also providing a sustained supply of glucose for 6 hours or more.
In contrast, products that include resistant starch and fiber were designed to help blunt the post-meal glycemic response, while not necessarily preventing nighttime hypoglycemia. You can read more about these products on the website listed below.
Cautions and Implications:
Clinical Diabetes, Volume 19, #1, 2001, made several recommendations, including the following:
- Do not use these products to treat hypoglycemia, as they are not formulated to act quickly enough to alleviate the symptoms of hypoglycemia.
- Generally, snack bars with uncooked cornstarch were designed to be used at bedtime to prevent nighttime hypoglycemia. The other snack bars listed are meant to prevent hyperglycemia during the day, and thus might not be effective to prevent nighttime hypoglycemia.
- These products should not be viewed as interchangeable, even when the carbohydrate content is similar. The glycemic effect of snack bars depends on the various types of ingredients: uncooked cornstarch, resistant starch, fiber, sugar alcohols, etc.
- Diabetic snack bars might assist some people with weight control by providing convenient, portion-controlled food with limited calories. Furthermore, they might prevent weight gain by preventing hypoglycemia, and thereby eliminating the excess calories eaten when treating hypoglycemia.
- These products are not intended to provide the fast-acting glucose sometimes needed before exercise, but rather they may be useful to give a slow, sustained release of glucose.
Before deciding to use any of these products, be sure to carefully read the product label, and discuss this with your diabetes team. Your healthcare team should help you evaluate your own glycemic response, to determine if you can incorporate these snacks into your individualized meal plan.
Related Links
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
http://www.diabetes.org
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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