Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Can "Low-Glycemic-Index" Diets Control Diabetes?
- Proponents of low-glycemic-index diets claim that foods with a low glycemic index are healthier than foods with a high glycemic index.
If you have diabetes, the right diet can help keep blood glucose levels in check and help control a number of risk factors—such as elevated blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides), obesity and high blood pressure—for developing diabetes complications.
Most experts recommend that people with diabetes eat a diet high in carbohydrates and low in fat. But recently, a number of books and diet doctors have advocated “low-glycemic-index diets." Proponents of low-glycemic-index diets claim that foods with a low glycemic index (those that cause small increases in blood glucose levels when eaten) are healthier than foods with a high glycemic index (those that cause sharp increases in blood glucose). Because people with diabetes need to control their blood glucose, such a diet might seem like a useful tool.
- In fact, sometimes the glycemic index can encourage better food choices, such as eating more fiber—but it may also lead to worse choices, such as avoiding carbohydrates altogether and eating fattier foods.
- In addition, keeping track of glycemic index values is often not practical—they’re not listed on food labels, vary according to how the food is prepared, and don’t take into account that people eat more than one type of food at a time.
- Finally, no long-term clinical trials have examined whether a low-glycemic-index diet helps to regulate blood glucose levels or control weight, both critical steps for managing diabetes.
Posted in Diabetes on May 25, 2006
Reviewed June 2011
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
Notify Me
Would you like us to inform you when we post new Diabetes Health Alerts?
Comments
Health Alerts registered users may post comments and share experiences here at their own discretion. We regret that questions on individual health concerns to the Johns Hopkins editors cannot be answered in this space.
The views expressed here do not constitute medical advice, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or Remedy Health Media, LLC, which has no responsibility for any comments posted on this site.
Post a Comment
Already a subscriber?
Login
New to Johns Hopkins Health Alerts?
very useful info ;just what i was looking for
Posted by: ALLANPUGUON | June 9, 2006 4:57 AM