Women who eat diets heavy in certain carbohydrates may be at greater risk of coronary heart disease, according to researchers. A study of over 47,000 Italian adults found that women alone whose diets contained a lot of bread, pizza and rice doubled their heart disease risk. These foods have a high glycemic index (GI), meaning they release energy and raise blood sugar quickly. The findings are published in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how much a food raises blood glucose levels compared with the same amount of glucose or white bread. The glycemic load is calculated based on the glycemic index of a given food and also on the total amount of carbohydrates it contains. After seven years, 463 participants had developed coronary heart disease. The researchers found that the women whose diet had the highest glycemic load had more than double the risk of heart disease compared with those women with the lowest glycemic load.
Bonnie - the key here is glycemic load, which is more important than glycemic index. It is about time we see these terms mentioned in the medical vernacular. My Blood Sugar Balance Action Plan has a complete list of glycemic index/load foods.
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