the+pixie+stix+test

The Effects Of Pixie Stix On Blood Sugar Levels By Cody Kaden Ian Chase and Katherine

Abstract The purpose of this study was to find out if eating pixy stix (dextrose) had any noticeable effect on the blood sugar of our test subjects. The subjects were given a baseline blood sugar test. Then two subjects ingested 45 pixy sitx and another two subjects ingested 30 pixy stix. The blood sugar test was given again and the results were recorded. The results showed that while there was a little bit of an effect on blood sugar there is no extraordinary change that would be unexpected.

Introduction In the 1940's Pixy Stix's originally sold as a drink mix; but the kids ate the sour, and sweet, powder by itself. Their now packaged in paper; formed like a straw and are consumed directly into the mouth. Pixy Stix contain a sugar called dextrose, also known as glucose a simple sugar. This sugar gives a quick energy boost right as it enters your body. Dextrose has more of an effect on blood sugar than another sugar called sucrose a disaccharide. If you have diabetes you should refrain from consuming pixy stix because your blood sugar will spike.Usually after eating a meal your blood sugar level should remain the same because your pancreas produces insulin used to get glucose out of your blood into the cells. After eating a lot of dextrose it will enter your blood stream, and your pancreas will recognize this, and produce more insulin; so the sugar will leave the blood into the cells. This will decrease the blood sugar level.

Methods Four test subjects were used in the experiment. Three were adolescent males and one was an adolescent female. For the control blood sugar test blood was taken from all four subjects before the consumption of pixie stix. Two sets of 45 pixie stix and another two sets of 30 pixie stix were emptied into separate cup (1 per set). Then the test subjects proceeded to consume the pixie stix powder. Five minutes afterwards blood sugar was then tested again. Blood was tested both times by using a Surgil Lance Lancet and a Freestyle Light Blood Glucose Testing System.

Results Table: The table shows the blood sugar before and after the consumption of pixie stix and the percent of change. || +7.4% || +13.39% || -5.97% || +12.69% ||
 * Name: || Chase || Ian || Kaden || Katherine || Cody ||
 * Control: || - || 121 || 112 || 134 || 126 ||
 * 10min. after pixie stix || - || 130 || 127 || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">126 || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">142 ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"># of pixie stix || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">45 || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">45 || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">30 || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">30 ||
 * % of change ||

The tests showed that pixie stix do not have a large affect on raising blood sugar(> than 15%) on male or females. The test shows that the number of pixie stix does not have a significant effect either. It also shows that males are more affected than females because they went up when the only female went down.<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this test I think that the pixie stix did not have much to do with the blood sugar because some of us ate more than others did two hours before the test. I think that’s why one dropped and all the others raised, and that‘s why they did not go up signifigantly.

Discussion <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The test did not yield the results that we expected. We expected our blood sugar to be spiked by more than 15 percent because of the dextrose. The highest change was only 13 percent and we also had a result where the blood sugar went down 5 percent. Our best explaination for this is either that we did not wait long enough or our bodies reacted by putting insulin in our blood sugar too fast for us to test. Even though number of pixy stix in test subjects was different there was no correlation between eating more pixy stix and blood sugar levels. Our assessment was that we could have done the experiment better by fasting before hand, waiting longer, and if possible we could have used more test subjects.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Refrences <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.livestrong.com <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.oldtimecandy.com <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.webmd.com