The Effects of One Month High Fructose Intake on Plasma Glucose and Lipid Levels in Non‐insulin‐dependent Diabetes

The effects of a high fructose diet on the control of blood glucose and serum lipids were studied in 10 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (mean age 64.4 years, mean duration of diabetes 5.6 years). Comparison was made following 28 days on the usual diabetic diet and 28 days during which 25% of the usual carbohydrate was substituted with fructose. There was no change in mean (± SEM) fasting plasma glucose (on usual diet 9.2 ± 0.5 mmol/l, on fructose diet, 9.1 ± 0.4 mmol/l), but there was a fall in mean plasma glucose levels at 30, 60, and 120 min in a 75 g OGTT following the fructose diet. There was no significant change in fasting lipids: on usual diet mean serum cholesterol 5.8 ± 0.2 mmol/l, on fructose diet 5.6 ± 0.2 mmol/l; serum triglyceride, on usual diet 1.3 ± 0.1 mmol/l, on fructose diet 1.3 ± 0.1 mmol/l; HDL cholesterol on usual diet 1.4 ± 0.1 mmol/l, on fructose diet 1.4 ± 0.1 mmol/l. Mean body weight did not vary significantly between the two diets. Incorporation of fructose into the diabetic diet may lower post-prandial glucose levels without disturbing serum lipids.