Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Four Local Alcoholic Drinks of Benin

Aims: To identify glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of four local alcoholic drinks of Benin in young and healthy adult subjects.

Study Design: An experimental study.

Methodology: After ethic advice, 40 voluntary subjects (24 men, 16 women), were selected among the students of the University of Parakou (Benin) and divided into 4 groups of 10. Each group of subjects consumed 100 mL of one of the four beverages (tchoukoutou, sodabi, fresh palm wine, fermented palm wine), alone and with 100 g of whole wheat bread (50 g of carbohydrates). The glycemic response for 2 hours was assessed based on plasma glucoses.

Results: All the four drinks investigated had a low GI: tchoukoutou (20.59%), sodabi (18.34%), fresh palm wine (11.66%) and fermented palm wine (4.27%); but the GL were variable: tchoukoutou (68.77%), fresh palm wine (115.43%) and fermented palm wine (0.42%).

Conclusion: This study contributes to put in place a database of local resources for the prevention and management of some chronic diseases.