Candy twists alternative to glucola drink for GDM screening

(HealthDay)—Candy twists can be used as an alternative to glucola beverage in gestational diabetes mellitus screening, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Up to 30 percent of pregnant women report significant side-effects from the 50-g glucola beverage and subsequent venous puncture. With this in mind, Diana A. Racusin, M.D., from the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, and colleagues examined whether an equivalent glucose load could be achieved from a popular candy (10 Twizzlers candy twists). Safety and equivalence of load were ensured in a triple crossover design among nonpregnant patients where each patient served as her own control. Pregnant women with an abnormal screening at one hour were then recruited in a double crossover design study. They consumed 10 candy twists with a one-hour venous blood glucose assessment. They then completed the confirmatory three-hour glucose tolerance test.

The researchers found that the sensitivity was equivalent for candy twists and glucola, at ≥130 mg/dL (100 percent). Compared with glucola, for candy twists there were improvements in the false-referral rate (82 versus 90 percent), positive predictive value (18 versus 10 percent), and detection rate (18 versus 10 percent).

"Strawberry-flavored candy twists are potentially an equally effective screening test, compared with the gold standard glucola beverage but lead to fewer false-positive screens and therefore could be a cost-effective alternative," the authors write.

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