According to new study people shouldn’t be concerned of where their diet lies in the Glycemic index unless they have diabetes.
Food that cause the sugar level in the blood to rise sharply are called high Glycemic index and food that doesn’t rise the sugar level are named low Glycemic index. Although having almost same amount of carbohydrates, some foods can increase the sugar level more than other.
Dr. Frank Sacks, the study’s lead author from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston said “The big question is, does that translate to any health issues,”
Some previous studies say that people should adopt diets that are low on the Glycemic index and their value should be printed on their packaging.
Researchers added that uncertainty lies in getting benefits from the low -glycemic-diet especially if the diet is nutritious and heart healthy.
163 overweigh adults were taken for the study and each were provided with 4 heart-healthy diets to be followed for 5 weeks at a time between April 2008 and December 2010. Atleast two diets were completed by the participants.
The 4 diets include
• High carbohydrate foods on high glycemic index
• High carbohydrate foods on low glycemic index
• Low carbohydrate foods on high glycemic index
• Low carbohydrate foods on low glycemic index
Overall the researchers have found no improvement in health pointers among low and high glycemic diets.
No change was observed to hormone insulin which actually converts glucose into energy. No improvement in systolicpressure and amount of fat in blood was recorded.
Sacks remarked that it is expected that the body can handle variations in food on the glycemic index.
“I guess it just works normally in most people,” he said, but emphasized that glycemic index should be studied and followed among people with type 2 diabetes, which is also commonly known as adult-onset diabetes.
Dr. Robert Eckel, a past president of the American Heart Association and a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, wrote an editorial concomitant the new study, said the study’s message is that the glycemic index is not that important if a diet is already heart healthy.
“If you’re eating a heart-healthy diet, glycemic index is not important to consider, I think the emphasis need to be on the overall diet pattern.” He said.
Sacks concluded that people should follow Mediterranean food or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet which involves fruits, fish, poultry, fat-free dairy, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and vegetable oils.
