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- People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes often use several different methods to keep their blood sugar levels in a healthy range and prevent long-term complications.
- The glycemic load (GL) and the glycemic index (GI) are different ways of indicating how much a given food will raise blood sugar.
- A new review of research suggests that a low GI diet may help people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, keep their blood sugar levels in an appropriate range.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes affects more than
People with diabetes work with their doctors to develop individualized treatment plans.
Nutrition and education play a key role in the management of diabetes. Specifically, people with diabetes need to know how certain foods affect their blood sugar levels.
Some useful measurements are GI and GL, which can help determine how much a particular food will raise a person’s blood sugar level.
In general, foods with a low GI raise blood sugar less and foods with a high GI increase blood sugar more.
A recent analysis, which appears in
As the
In people with diabetes, sugar from food stays in the blood instead of entering cells. Consistently high blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels and organs.
Diabetes increases the risk of long-term health problems, including nerve damage, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.
There are steps people can take to manage their diabetes, including taking medication, living an active lifestyle, and eating a healthy diet.
Monitoring blood sugar is also essential in the management of diabetes. A hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test measures blood sugar over a period of 2 to 3 months, and it is the primary way to get an average blood sugar reading for a person.
Some foods raise blood sugar levels higher than others, and some foods raise levels and fall quickly. Understanding which foods do this can help people with diabetes plan their meals in an optimal way for their health.
GI and GL help people understand how specific foods affect their blood sugar levels.
As Oregon State University notes, the GI indicates the potential of carbohydrates in one type of food to raise blood sugar, compared to a reference food, which is usually pure glucose.
GL is a similar tool. To measure it, start with the GI of the food, multiply it by the number of carbohydrates in a serving of that food and divide it by 100.
In general, foods with a higher GI cause blood sugar to rise and fall rapidly, while foods with a lower GI cause blood sugar to rise and fall more gradually.
The new investigation is a systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials.
According to the authors, the aim of the analysis was “to inform the updated clinical practice guidelines of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes for Nutritional Therapy”.
To be included in the review, trials must have investigated the impact of low GI / GL diets in people with diabetes for at least 3 weeks. The analysis included data from a total of 1,617 participants with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
The trials included in the review took place primarily in Canada, Australia, France, the United States, Israel and Mexico, with the remainder taking place elsewhere in Europe or Asia.
The researchers report that most of the participants:
- were middle aged
- had moderately controlled type 2 diabetes
- managed their diabetes using medication, insulin or a combination
However, some participants in some of the trials controlled their diabetes using only dietary measures.
Based on the pooled data, the team found that people who had a low GI diet had a small but clinically significant reduction in blood sugar, compared to people who had a higher GI diet.
The data further indicates that participants with a low GI diet had small overall improvements in body fat levels, blood lipid levels, and inflammation, compared to participants with a higher GI diet.
Analysis co-author Laura Chiavaroli, who is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, said Medical News Today:
“The available evidence provides a good indication that low GI / GL eating habits lead to small, clinically meaningful reductions in the primary target of glycemic control – HbA1c.”
She also explained that there were “small, clinically significant improvements in other established cardiometabolic risk factors,” such as blood lipids, body weight and levels of inflammation.
The exam had limitations. For example, the authors observe, the analysis did not include many trials with children or people with type 1 diabetes. In addition, trials involving pregnant or breastfeeding participants were also excluded from the analysis. .
Additionally, the included trials primarily compared low GI diets with moderate GI diets. This did not provide a full range of possible comparisons.
The survey results are more applicable to people with type 2 diabetes. Given the imprecision and limited data in some areas, the authors conclude:
- There is ample evidence that a low GI / GL diet helps improve levels of HbA1C and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
- There is moderate evidence that a low GI / GL diet helps improve inflammation, body weight, BMI, non-HDL cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels.
- There is little evidence that a low GI / GL diet helps improve blood pressure, fasting insulin levels, low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and waist circumference.
Overall, researchers observe that a low-GI diet, combined with other treatments, may be beneficial for people with diabetes. Dr Chiavaroli said MNT:
“The significance of these findings is that they demonstrate evidence to support existing recommendations for the use of low GI / GL dietary models in blood sugar control for the management of diabetes, as well as provide data to support reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in diabetics.
She continued, “The implication is that a low GI / GL diet is one more evidence-based option to help patients meet diabetes management goals with benefits that are added to background medication. and insulin therapy. “
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