Does the Fat-Protein Meal Increase Postprandial Glucose Level in Type 1 Diabetes Patients on Insulin Pump: The Conclusion of a Randomized Study

<jats:sec> <jats:title>Background:</jats:title> <jats:p>Our study examines the hypothesis that in addition to sugar starch-type diet, a fat-protein meal elevates postprandial glycemia as well, and it should be included in calculated prandial insulin dose accordingly. The goal was to determine the impact of the inclusion of fat-protein nutrients in the general algorithm for the mealtime insulin dose calculator on 6-h postprandial glycemia.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Subjects and Methods:</jats:title> <jats:p> Of 26 screened type 1 diabetes patients using an insulin pump, 24 were randomly assigned to an experimental Group A and to a control Group B. Group A received dual-wave insulin boluses for their pizza dinner, consisting of 45 g/180 kcal of carbohydrates and 400 kcal from fat-protein where the insulin dose was calculated using the following algorithm: <jats:italic toggle="yes">n</jats:italic> Carbohydrate Units×ICR+ <jats:italic toggle="yes">n</jats:italic> Fat-Protein Units×ICR/6 h (standard+extended insulin boluses), where ICR represents the insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio. For the control Group B, the algorithm used was <jats:italic toggle="yes">n</jats:italic> Carbohydrate Units×ICR. The glucose, C-peptide, and glucagon concentrations were evaluated before the meal and at 30, 60, 120, 240, and 360 min postprandial. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results:</jats:title> <jats:p> There were no statistically significant differences involving patients' metabolic control, C-peptide, glucagon secretion, or duration of diabetes between Group A and B. In Group A the significant glucose increment occurred at 120–360 min, with its maximum at 240 min: 60.2 versus −3.0 mg/dL ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> =0.04), respectively. There were no significant differences in glucagon and C-peptide concentrations postprandial. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title> <jats:p>A mixed meal effectively elevates postprandial glycemia after 4–6 h. Dual-wave insulin bolus, in which insulin is calculated for both the carbohydrates and fat proteins, is effective in controlling postprandial glycemia.</jats:p> </jats:sec>