Glycemic indices of various foods given to pregnant diabetic subjects.

The applicability of the glycemic index concept in pregnancy has not been established. The postprandial glucose curves were measured for nine foods (glucose, bread, raisins, dates, sweet corn, bananas, oranges, spaghetti, and green peas) in 28 gestational diabetic subjects. Uniform glycemic indices were observed for each food, similar to those reported by others in nonpregnant subjects. Postprandial glucose levels reached their peak later after glucose and bread ingestion than after the remaining seven foods. These results demonstrate that despite known changes in gastrointestinal function in pregnancy, glycemic indices are uniform after the ingestion of foods. Pregnancy does not appear to alter the glycemic indices of the foods tested.