Disease relevance of Glycemic Index

• In short-term intervention studies of overweight and hyperlipidemic patients, low glycemic index diets lead to improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors, including reduced LDL cholesterol and improved insulin sensitivity, as well as greater body fat loss on energy-restricted diets [1].
• BACKGROUND: Dietary glycemic index, an indicator of the ability of the carbohydrate to raise blood glucose levels, and glycemic load, the product of glycemic index and carbohydrate intake, have been positively related to risk of coronary heart disease [2].
• In an attempt to apply the concept of glycemic index (GI) and insulinemic index (II) to local eating habits, we examined the plasma glucose and insulin responses in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and healthy subjects to five mixed meals of different ethnic origins [3].
• Low glycemic index foods and reduced glucose, amino acid, and endocrine responses in cirrhosis [4].
• Intakes of dietary carbohydrate, GL, overall glycemic index, sucrose, and fructose were not associated with colorectal cancer risk in women [5].

High impact information on Glycemic Index

• DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: We searched MEDLINE through May 2002 for epidemiologic and clinical investigations of major dietary factors (fat, cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, carbohydrates, glycemic index, fiber, folate, specific foods, and dietary patterns) and CHD [6].
• We used frequency of intake of individual foods as reported on a food-frequency questionnaire in 1980 to calculate sucrose, fructose, and carbohydrate intakes; glycemic index (postprandial blood glucose response as compared with a reference food); and glycemic load (glycemic index multiplied by carbohydrate content) [7].
• RECENT FINDINGS: In ecological studies, average dietary glycemic index (a measure of the postprandial glycemic potential of carbohydrates) and glycemic load (average glycemic index x amount of carbohydrate) predicts coronary infarct and cardiovascular disease risk factors, including HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein [1].
• Dietary glycemic index was positively associated with CRP (P for trend = 0.04) and TNF-R2 (P for trend = 0.0008) levels [8].
• CONCLUSION: Fermentable carbohydrates, independent of their effect on a food's glycemic index, have the potential to regulate postprandial responses to a second meal by reducing NEFA competition for glucose disposal and, to a minor extent, by affecting intestinal motility [9].

Chemical compound and disease context of Glycemic Index

• Many studies indicate that dietary patterns that stimulate insulin resistance or secretion, including high consumption of sucrose, various sources of starch, a high glycemic index and high saturated fatty acid intake, are associated with a higher risk of colon cancer [10].
• The results of this study show that the risk of colorectal adenoma increases with the level of fructosamine, an indicator of the level of glucose in the blood more sensitive to foods with a high glycemic index [11].

Biological context of Glycemic Index

• In animals and in short-term human studies, a high intake of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (a relative measure of the incremental glucose response per gram of carbohydrate) produced greater insulin resistance than did the intake of low-glycemic-index carbohydrates [12].
• Dietary glycemic index and glycemic load, carbohydrate and fiber intake, and measures of insulin sensitivity, secretion, and adiposity in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study [13].
• Therefore, high glycemic index starch diet is implicated in stimulating FAS activity and lipogenesis and might have undesirable long-term metabolic effects [14].
• Preexercise carbohydrate ingestion, glucose kinetics, and muscle glycogen use: effect of the glycemic index [15].
• We conclude, in horses, ingestion of oat groats, corn, and barley result in similar plasma glucose AUC and, compared with the glycemic index of 100 as the glucose reference, corn, oat groats, and barley had a glycemic index of approximately 60 [16].

Anatomical context of Glycemic Index

• Most cereal products, however, tend to have a high glycemic index Cereals such as Prowashonupana barley or fractions of oat bran are particularly high in the soluble fiber beta-glucan, which when taken with a meal increases the viscosity of the meal bolus once it has reached the small intestine, where the absorption of nutrients occurs [17].
• We conclude that in both normal and diabetic rats, the chronic replacement of a high glycemic index starch by a low glycemic index one in a mixed diet increases insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation, decreases glucose incorporation into total lipids and decreases epididymal adipocyte diameter [18].
• The effects of pre-exercise high carbohydrate meals with different glycemic indices on blood leukocyte redistribution, IL-6, and hormonal responses during a subsequent prolonged exercise [19].

Associations of Glycemic Index with chemical compounds

• The effect of sucrose additions on glycemic index and insulin response to butter beans was determined in control subjects [20].
• Because of the low glycemic index of fructose, fructose may be an alternative as a sweetener for those diabetic patients who like sweet foods but are liable to high postprandial glucose concentrations [21].
• Reduction in the mean glycemic index (GI) of diets of 12 hyperlipidemic patients from 82 +/- 1 to 69 +/- 2 units (p less than 0.001) for a 1 mo period resulted in a significant reduction in total and LDL serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride by comparison with the mean lipid values for the preceding and following control months [22].
• The glycemic index was found to correlate negatively with the phytic acid content of the food tested [23].
• RESULTS: Glycemic indices did not show any significant changes during the study, whereas fasting labile HbA, and glycosylated proteins decreased significantly after 1 and 2 mo in patients on vitamin E administration [24].

Gene context of Glycemic Index

• The glycemic index of foods influences postprandial insulin-like growth factor-binding protein responses in lean young subjects [25].
• Dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, cereal fiber, and plasma adiponectin concentration in diabetic men [26].
• The decrease in Dpd, CTx and BALP, but not the increase in OC, correlated with each other and with the improvement in glycemic indices [27].
• The high glycemic index WCS diet compared with the low glycemic index MBS diet resulted in lower hepatic PEPCK mRNA in both normal and diabetic rats [14].
• High glycemic index foods, such as white bread, increased the risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.3) while the intake of pasta, a medium glycemic index food, seemed to have no influence (OR = 1.0) [28].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Glycemic Index

• Lowering the glycemic index of high carbohydrate, low fat diets increases the fall in LDL cholesterol in subjects with type 2 diabetes with low glucose tolerance, but has little effect on glycemic control [29].

References