Background: Rice (Oryzasativa L.) is the staple food of over half the world’s population. The major carbohydrate of rice is starch, which is about 72 to 75%. Rice can be classified into three different types: long-grain, medium-grain and short-grain rice based upon their length as compared to their width. Aim of the study was to predict the glycemic index of long, medium and short grain rice based on amylose, amylopectin ratio and to study in vitro hydrolysis of starch of long, medium and short grain rice by salivary and pancreatic amylases and formulate the right type of rice to be consumed by diabetics. Methods: Starches were isolated from long, medium and short grain rice. Amylose and amylopectin from the isolated starches were estimated. Starches isolated were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis by salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase under optimum in vitro conditions and reducing sugars released after hydrolysis and incubation period of   0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes were estimated by Folin-Wu method. Results were analysed using unpaired t-test and statistical significance was established.Results: Long grain rice was found to have high amylose and low amylopectin content as compared to medium and short grain rice. Long grain rice showed slow release of reducing sugars as compared to medium and short grain rice.Conclusions: Long grain rice because of its high amylose content is a low glycemic food and can be consumed by diabetics. Sustained slow release of reducing sugars given by long grain rice is desirable in diabetics.

Background: Pulses belong to the family leguminosae. Pulses provide protein and fibre, as well as vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc, folate, and magnesium. In addition, the phytochemicals, saponins, and tannins found in pulses possess antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic effects, indicating that pulses may have significant anti-cancer effects. It is the practice of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked. Sprouts can be germinated at home or produced industrially. The metabolic activity of resting seeds increases as soon as they are hydrated during soaking. Sprouting grains causes increased activities of hydrolytic enzymes like lipase, improvements in the contents of total proteins, fat, essential amino acids, total sugars, B-group vitamins and starch digestibility, and decrease in phytates and protease inhibitors an increase in amino acid lysine is seen after sprouting, increase in proteolytic activity leads to hydrolysis of prolamins and increased lysine.Methods: Proteins and transaminase activity were estimated from Green mung (Vignaradiata), Cowpea (Vignaunguiculata), Chick pea (Cicerarietinum), Moth bean (Vignaaconitifolia) and Black gram (Vignamungo) in raw (dried) state, after soaking for 12 hours and on sprouting. Students paired t-test was applied to data and statistical significance was established.Results: Chick pea showed highest concentration of proteins whereas Black gram showed the least protein content. Concentration of protein after 12 hours of soaking resulted in chick pea showing highest concentration of proteins whereas green gram showed the least protein content. Chick pea was superior amongst the pulses, because it showed highest protein content after sprouting and highest alanine transaminase activity in 12 hours soaked sample as well as in sprouted sample. Raw moth bean showed highest alanine transaminase activity.Conclusions: Protein content and transaminase activity were found to be highest in sprouted pulses. So, consumption of sprouted pulses should be encouraged. Amongst the pulses studied chickpea (Cicerarietinum) gave the maximum nutritional benefit because of its high protein content and high alanine transaminase activity, as compared to other (green gram, cowpea, moth bean and black gram) pulses.

Background: Wheat and rice form the staple food of large majority of the population throughout the world. Starch is a carbohydrate which is a homopolymer consisting of a large number of D-glucose units joined by α- glycosidic bonds. Starch can be separated into two fractions-amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, Amylopectin ratio is an indicator of Glycemic Index. Starches with lower amylose content will have higher glycemic indexes. Invitro digestion of starch provides efficient means of analysing carbohydrate digestibility and hence glycemic properties of foods. Invitro digestion indicates how a given food item is likely to behave in vivo, in terms of rate and extent of sugar release from starch, by stimulating physiological processes occurring in the mouth, stomach and small intestine. The rate of starch hydrolysis which gives rise to sustained release of reducing sugars would be preferred by the diabetics.Methods: In our study, starches of wheat and rice were first isolated. Amylose and Amylopectin ratio was determined to predict the glycemic index of both. Wheat and rice having the same amylose and amylopectin ratio were selected for our study. These isolated starches were subjected to invitro enzymatic hydrolysis by salivary and pancreatic amylases. Reducing sugars released after hydrolysis and incubation of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes were estimated by Folin-Wu method. Statistical analysis was carried out in the form of unpaired student’s t-test to find significant difference between means of reducing sugars release by wheat and rice during enzymatic hydrolysis.Results: Having compared the starches of wheat and rice having the same amylose-amylopectin ratio, it was seen that the rice had low digestibility than the wheat starch. Rice starch releases less amount reducing sugars gradually while the wheat starch releases more reducing sugars rapidly in a short period of time. This can be due to amylopectin A which might be present in larger quantities in wheat starch than in rice starch which assists in rapid digestion of wheat starch.Conclusions: Our findings revealed that rice starch released less reducing sugars gradually over a period of time while wheat starch released more reducing sugars rapidly. So, rice is the best option for diabetics for consumption because of its comparatively low release of reducing sugars as compared to wheat.

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INTRODUCTIONDiabetes mellitus (DM) refers to a group of common metabolic disorders that share the phenotype of hyperglycemia. Several distinct types of DM exist and are caused by a complex interaction of genetics and environmental factors. Depending on the etiology of the DM, factors contributing to hyperglycemia include reduced insulin secretion, decreased glucose utilization, and increased glucose production.1 The metabolic dysregulation associated with DM causes secondary pathophysiologic changes in multiple organ systems that impose a tremendous burden on the individual with diabetes and on the health care system. Diabetes is one of the most challenging health problems of the 21st century.2 Type 2 DM is a significant cause of premature mortality and morbidity related to cardiovascular disease, macrovascular complications, and microvascular complications in older adults. [3][4][5] The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is expected to increase from 4% in 1995 to 5.4% by the year 2025.6 According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), prevalence of diabetes in India is expected to increase from 61.3 million people in 2011 to 101.2 million by ABSTRACT Background: Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease entity but rather a group of metabolic disorders sharing the common underlying feature of hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia in diabetes results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or, most commonly, both. Magnesium (Mg) is one of the most abundant ions present in living cells and its plasma concentration is remarkably constant in healthy subjects. Plasma and intracellular Mg concentrations are tightly regulated by several factors. Among them, insulin seems to be one of the most important. A poor intracellular Mg concentration, as found in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), may result in a defective tyrosinekinase activity at the insulin receptor level and exaggerated intracellular calcium concentration. Both events are responsible for the impairment in insulin action and a worsening of insulin resistance in noninsulin-dependent diabetic. Methods: This study was undertaken to evaluate role of serum magnesium in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results: In this cross sectional study Parameters analysed were serum magnesium and calcium in 2 groups, one: Normal healthy age matched controls not suffering from diabetes mellitus (n=50) and other: Patients of Type 2 diabetes mellitus with or without complications (n=50). Biochemical data analysed using Unpaired Students t test. Results demonstrated that serum magnesium levels were lower in type 2 diabetic patients when compared to controls. Conclusions: Magnesium and calcium deficiency may have profound ill effects on human health and should be supplemented to prevent complications.