Issue 168 Item 4 Low-Glycemic Index Foods Are Effective for Glycemic Control in

Nutrition and lifestyle approaches to diabetes prevention and treatment should be given as much attention as drug therapies.”

Consumption of low-glycemic index (GI) foods is effective in medium-term glycemic control in diabetic patients, according to the results published

"The use of diets with low-GI in the management of diabetes is controversial, with contrasting recommendations around the world," Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller, of the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues note. They conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies to compare the effects of low-GI diets versus high-GI diets on overall glycemic control in diabetic patients, assessed by reduced HbA1c or fructosamine levels.

Fourteen studies including 356 patients were included in the analysis. All of the trials were of randomized crossover or parallel experimental design, and lasted a mean of 10 weeks. Ten studies reported on differences in postprandial glycemia on the two diet types.

The researchers report that low-I diets reduced HbA1c by 0.43 percentage points beyond that produced by high-GI diets. When they looked at HbA1c and fructosamine data together and adjusted for differences at baseline, they found that the difference in glycated proteins was -7.4% in favor of the low GI diet. Not adjusting for baseline levels or excluding the shortest studies did not significantly change the results.

"The meta-analysis provides objective evidence that targeting postprandial hyperglycemia via choice of low-GI foods has a small but clinically useful effect on medium-term glycemic control in diabetics," the authors write. "Nutrition and lifestyle approaches to diabetes prevention and treatment should be given as much attention as drug therapies." Diabetes Care 2003;26:2261-2267.

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DID YOU KNOW: Ice Cream Treats Disguise Meals As Snacks, Group Says
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