[Christmas article: Influence of christmassy spices on blood glucose levels after intake of rice pudding meal].

Introduction The glucose-lowering effect of cinnamon is well known and has been used for this purpose since ancient times. Other christmassy spices, like ginger and cloves, have also been shown to affect blood glucose levels but are not as extensively examined. We aimed to explore the potential glucose-lowering effects of cinnamon, ginger and cloves by postprandial glucose excursions (PPGE) and maximum glucose level during rice pudding intake in healthy participants with use of continuous glucose monitoring during ingestion of the traditional Danish Christmas dish, rice pudding. Methods Participants wore an intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitor for five days in total. Day 0 was a 24h run-in stabilization period. Day 1 was used for baseline with ingestion of a standardized rice pudding meal without any spices. On days 2-4, participants had the same standardized rice pudding with one of the three Christmas spices on top. The participants ate rice pudding for breakfast (low-dose spice) and lunch (high-dose spice). A questionnaire was also developed to investigate the satisfaction level with the rice pudding and spice combinations. Results Data from 12 people were analyzed with mean age (range) of ~ 42 (25-63) years. Mean fasting glucose level (95% CI) was 4.7 (4.0-5.5) mmol/l. PPGE levels were higher for 6 g of ginger, compared to 3 g of ginger with mean difference of 1.02 mmol/l (0.12-1.92) (p = 0.030). No other differences between the different doses of spices or between spices and baseline were found regarding PPGE or the maximum glucose-level during intake of rice pudding. Most people preferred cinnamon on top of the rice pudding, however, eight out of 12 would rather risk complications from a higher blood glucose than eating Christmas spices on top of their rice pudding. Conclusion Putting christmassy spices on top of rice pudding did not have a glucose-lowering effect in this study. This was probably for the best, since we learned from the questionnaire, that the use of Christmas spices on top of rice pudding was rated worse than the risk of complications from having high blood glucose levels. Thus, implementation of Christmas spices as a preventative strategy is not recommended. Funding none. Trial registration none.