Low glycemic diet shows meaningful improvements for people with diabetes. Low glycemic diet can also lower other risk factors such as fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol, body weight, and C-reactive protein, but not blood insulin levels, HDL cholesterol, waist circumference, or blood pressure.
Highlights:
People with diabetes who follow a low glycemic diet were found to show small but important improvements in their blood sugar & cholesterol levels, weight and other risk factors, reveals a new study published by The BMJ today.//
These improvements were seen over and above existing drug or insulin therapy, suggesting that a low glycemic diet might be especially helpful as add-on treatment to help those with diabetes better achieve their targets, say the researchers.- Low-GI foods show meaningful reductions in blood sugar levels (HbA1c) compared with higher-GI/GL control diets
- Vegetables, most fruits, pulses and wholegrains are some of the low-GI foods
- Consuming a low glycemic diet can also reduce the risk of heart disease in diabetics
Glycemic Index (GI) - Importance, Weight Loss & Conclusions
GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) is a scale which helps to rank carbohydrate- rich foods, depending on how they affect blood glucose levels, by comparing them to glucose.
GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) is a scale which helps to rank carbohydrate- rich foods, depending on how they affect blood glucose levels, by comparing them to glucose.
‘Low glycemic diet can also lower other risk factors such as fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol, body weight, and C-reactive protein, but not blood insulin levels, HDL cholesterol, waist circumference, or blood pressure.’
The glycemic index (GI) rates how quickly different foods affect blood sugar levels and research has shown that low-GI foods, such as vegetables, most fruits, pulses and wholegrains, can help keep blood sugar levels steady and reduce the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes. A low GI or GL (glycemic load) diet is therefore recommended for people with diabetes by clinical guidelines across the world. However, the last European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) guidelines were published over 15 years ago and several trials have been published since then.
So researchers set out to summaries the effect of low GI/GL dietary patterns on blood sugar control and other known risk factors in diabetes to help inform the update of the EASD guidelines for nutrition treatment.
Diabetes Type 2 and Its Link to Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to metabolic syndrome leading to higher risk for type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to metabolic syndrome leading to higher risk for type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The trials involved a total of 1,617 participants with type 1 or 2 diabetes, who were predominantly middle aged, overweight or obese with moderately controlled type 2 diabetes treated with drugs or insulin.
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Fiber Up Your Meals
A high fiber diet and good water intake are essential for a stress free body. High-fiber foods prevent overeating and is also the key to maintaining a healthy weight.
A high fiber diet and good water intake are essential for a stress free body. High-fiber foods prevent overeating and is also the key to maintaining a healthy weight.
The results show that low-GI/GL dietary patterns were associated with small but clinically meaningful reductions in blood sugar levels (HbA1c) compared with higher-GI/GL control diets.
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Diabetics Can Eat These 4 Dried Fruits
Can people with diabetes eat dry fruits? Eating four dried fruits such as dates, apricots, raisins, and sultanas can be good for diabetics, as they contain a lower glycemic index (GI) than white bread.
Can people with diabetes eat dry fruits? Eating four dried fruits such as dates, apricots, raisins, and sultanas can be good for diabetics, as they contain a lower glycemic index (GI) than white bread.
The certainty of evidence was high for reduction in blood sugar levels and moderate for most other outcomes, suggesting the available evidence provides a good indication of the likely benefit in this population.
The researchers point to some limitations that may have affected their results, such as imprecision in the evidence for the effect of low GI/GL dietary patterns on LDL cholesterol and waist circumference, and the small number of available trial comparisons for blood pressure and inflammatory markers.
However, they say their findings show that low GI/GL dietary patterns “are considered an acceptable and safe dietary strategy that can produce small meaningful reductions in the primary target for glycemic control in diabetes, HbA1c, fasting glucose, and other established cardiometabolic risk factors.”
“Our synthesis supports existing recommendations for the use of low GI/GL dietary patterns in the management of diabetes,” they conclude.
Source-Eurekalert
