The Use of Uncooked Sweet Manioc Starch to Treat Hepatic Glycogen Storage Diseases

Hepatic Glycogen Storage Diseases are a group of 10 serious genetic diseases that present in childhood and are characterized more frequently by the occurrence of repetitive hypoglycemia and dyslipidemia. Regarding treatment, the most commonly used strategy is the frequent administration of uncooked cornstarch, in average, every 4 hours. Although this treatment is successful, the use of large amounts of cornstarch can lead to overweight and, especially, to the decrease in the quality of life of patients and caregivers, due to the need to use the starch during the night. The search for a treatment that is widely available and that can lead to the prolongation of the fasting time, can collaborate to improve the care of these patients. The main scientific question to be answered by this research is: does sweet manioc starch, a Brazilian product, safely prolong the fasting time (with normoglycemia) of the patients as already suggested in experimental models? Main objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the use of uncooked Sweet Manioc Starch in the treatment of patients with hepatic Glycogen Storage Diseases, using as model the Glycogen Storage Diseases type Ia.