The Effect of Blood Glucose on Quiet Standing Balance in Young Healthy Individuals

Abstract

Falling is one of the leading causes of accidental injury and death among elderly adults and construction workers, with costs exceeding US$31 billion each year. Having good balance reduces the likelihood of falling — therefore it is important to determine which possible factors might influence balance. The purpose of this study was to determine if consuming three different types of breakfast altered blood glucose levels in such a way that young healthy individual’s balance control was compromised. Balance was then measured while the subjects completed single- and dual-task standing trials with eyes open and closed. Although changing blood glucose did alter quiet standing balance — as measured by the separation distance between the COG and COP, the velocity of the COM, and the total distance traveled by the COG and COP along the anterior–posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) axes — the results were contradictory to what was hypothesized. Subjects with lower blood glucose swayed less than those with higher blood glucose. This could potentially be due to the habitual skipping of breakfast in young adults. Though the changing of blood glucose did influence quiet standing balance of young healthy adults, it was not in a way which increased the risk of falling.