Life Science Research Task

The above research, methodology and data collected indicate that the consumption of certain foods with high levels of hidden sugar content has an effect on the blood glucose levels of a person, although it is only a slight increase in most cases, I feel that it also answered my research question of if it is possible to lower your blood glucose levels by reducing the amount of food you consume which contain high levels of hidden sugars.

In test group A which consisted of three matrics who consumed mango, all of their blood glucose levels increased after eating it. Individual 1 had an increase of 1 mmol, starting with a reading of 3,6mmol and ending with a reading of 4,6mmol, individual 2 had the lowest increase in the group with a 0,9mmol increase, starting with a reading of 4,3mmol and ending with a reading of 5,2mmol and individual 3 has the highest increase of 2mmol in the test group, starting with a reading of 4,8mmol and concluding with a reading of 6,8mmol

In test group B which consisted of three grade 11’s who consumed dried fruit, all of their blood glucose levels increased after eating it. Individual 4 had the highest increase in the test group, with an initial reading of 3,3mmol and a final reading of 5,1mmol meaning there was a 1,8mmol difference, individual 5 had an increase of 0,2mmol the lowest of the group with an initial reading of 4,4mmol and a final reading of 4,6mmol and individual 6 had an increase of 0,4mmol, starting with a reading of 4,4mmol and ending with 4,8mmol

In test group C which consisted of three grade 10’s who consumed litchi fruit juice, all of their blood glucose levels increased after drinking it. Individual 7 had the highest increase of 1mmol starting with an initial reading of 3,8mmol and ending with 4,8mmol, individual 8 had an initial reading of 3,5mmol and ending with 3,8mmol resulting in a 0,3mmol difference, while individual 9 had an initial reading of 4,1mmol and ended with 4,7mmol and a difference of 0,6mmol

In test group D which consisted of three grade 9’s who consumed flavoured yoghurt, individual 10 had an initial reading of 4,3mmol and ended up with a reading of 4,8mmol a difference of 0,5mmol, individual 11 had the lowest increase of the group with a difference of 0,1mmol, starting with an initial reading of 4,1mmol and ending with 4,2mmol while individual 12 has the highest increase with a difference of 0,6mmol, starting with an initial reading of 3,3mmol and ending with 3,9mmol.

The readings explain clearly that foods with high sugar levels will result in a minimal increase of one’s blood glucose levels, there are no contradictions in the results as no individual in their respective test group had their blood glucose levels decreasing after the consumption of their required food.

From the data collected above, one can say that a high level of sugar content in a product does not necessarily mean there will be a drastic increase in the blood glucose levels after an individual has consumed it, for example the highest increase of all the test groups occurred with individual 3 of test group A who consumed mango that has a sugar content level of 11,3 grams which is the lowest sugar content level out of the four possible food items.

The Limitations of the Study Included:

• Sample size, this research project was intended to be helpful and educational to those living in South Africa, however granted that the test group consisted of 12 people in one community, it is not enough in relation to the population of 57,341,277 million in South Africa.
• In order to ensure accurate results of this research project, one has to rely on the truthfulness of members in each test group, it is difficult to ensure that every member of each test group remained truthful throughout the testing period.
• The data that was collected during break, occurred in a rushed manner as there was not enough time, this could have influenced the results of the final readings.
• There was not a wide range of sources such as case studies, essays or articles that could have been used as prior research and contributed extra information to the research task and allowed for comparisons, noting if the finding were similar and confirmation of the results obtained. There was also a lack of available research and trustworthy data.
• The method used to obtain the data was not sufficient as an additional test should have been run and testing should have occurred over two days to ensure accuracy.
• The are several areas that require further research and follow up such as identifying if sugar can be drastically reduced in one’s diet.
• All these limitations could have had a negative impact on the results

In conclusion, while the numbers which reflect how much an individual’s blood glucose levels are low, it is important to note that this is not the only sugar the average individual consumes in a day. A spoonful of sugar in ones coffee in the morning, the jungle bar eaten in the car, the normal food consumed and the occasionally sweet treat, these numbers can accumulate quickly and cause a significant spike in one’s blood glucose levels.

It is evident that the consumption of foods with a high level of hidden sugar content has an effect on and individuals blood glucose levels even though this effect is very slight. One cannot draw a solid conclusion that is possible to lower your blood glucose levels by reducing the amount of food an individual consumes which contain high levels of hidden content.