New evidence links high-carb diets with increased risk of diabetes and other ills
Posted on 12 March 2008
Variously on this site I, and quite a few commentators, have expressed concern for the conventional vogue of advising a diet rich in carbohydrate. Excesses of carbohydrate can cause gluts of the hormone insulin which in turn can predispose us to all sorts of problems including weight gain, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.
However, not all carbs are created equal: some disrupt blood sugar levels more than others. The extent to which a food raises blood sugar can be measured and is expressed as its glycaemic index or
Published March 12, 2008 . Filed under: Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Healthy Eating, Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction
What about GL and cardio-vascular disease: higher or lower than GI?
March 13, 2008 @ 11:38 am
I don’t care about spelling, but if you do I would go for wreak over reek, unless you’re talking about garlic.
March 13, 2008 @ 11:44 am
Peter
Ta for spelling alert. This study found no statistically significant association between GL and either heart disease or stroke.
March 13, 2008 @ 11:56 am
I would have to agree that i am also puzzled by the fact that GI seems to be a better guide to risk than GL. My only thought is that maybe the spikes in blood glucose may be more damaging than just the elevated levels in blood glucose?
Whatever is said however, a diet rich in Highly refined carbohydrates shows a massive increase of desease that a diet very low in refined carbohydrates does not. ANd the food standards agency is still going on about fat and ignoring carbohydrates.
March 14, 2008 @ 11:24 am
Perhaps the difference found between GI and GL and the risk of disease is not caused by carbs but through another confounding factor? That is, this study might hint at something other than carbs that increases risk for these diseases and it occurs more often with high GI than high GL diets? Did the paper control for confounding explanations? e.g. fat intake, exercise, age, smoking and so on… Even if they did, perhaps there is another unmeasured reason that explains the difference between GI and GL?
March 14, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
Pete A said
“maybe the spikes in blood glucose may be more damaging than just the elevated levels in blood glucose?”
My guess would be that mealtime spikes BG are more normal or physiological than extended periods of elevated BG (eg through snacking or nibbling)
March 15, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
On reflection I like Neil’s idea that ‘ extended periods of elevated BG (eg through snacking or nibbling)’ could well be the cause.
Although the people who eat a large amount of High GI foods may well get larger spikes than those of us who only eat low Gi ‘good food?’
March 17, 2008 @ 11:11 pm