Acarbose Treatment in Insulin-Dependent Diabetics

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial 30 insulin-dependent diabetic patients were treated with acarbose, an inhibitor of intestinal α- glucosidases, at the dose of 100 mg T. I. D. for 4 weeks. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of acarbose in lowering postprandial hyperglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetics following an experimental low-carbohydrate diet (15%). For this purpose, the carbohydrate intake of patients was increased by 30% at the beginning of the trial, while their daily caloric and insulin intake was not modified.