Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem in the United States affecting millions of people. It is caused by failure of the pancreatic beta-cells to secrete enough insulin resulting in high blood glucose levels. People with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose have elevated glucose levels and are at increased risk for progressing to type 2 diabetes. The long-term objectives of this research are to better understand the factors that contribute to the loss of beta-cell function and impaired insulin secretion. High glucose levels have been shown to impair beta-cell function by causing oxidative stress, and oscillating high glucose levels increase oxidative stress even more than continuous high glucose. Diets containing foods with a high glycemic index (GI) increase the glycemic load (GL) of the diet and post-prandial glucose levels. Therefore, high GL (HGL) diets could be potentially damaging to the beta-cell by increasing glucose fluctuations and oxidative stress. Conversely, low GL (LGL) diets may be beneficial. The study explores the hypothesis that increased glycemic variability results in increased oxidative stress and thereby exacerbates beta-cell dysfunction in people with pre-diabetes.