According to the latest estimates, more than 18 million Americans currently suffer
from type-2 diabetes. Previous research suggests that refined cereal products and foods
with a high glycemic index (GI) - which measures how fast a food is likely to raise your
blood sugar - may increase the risk of diabetes, while fruits, vegetables and foods high
in fiber may reduce diabetes risk.
In this study, Australian researchers examined the dietary habits of 36,787 men
and women (ages of 40 and 69) who did not have diabetes. Dietary information was
collected using a food frequency questionnaire, with particular attention paid to glycemic
index (GI) and glycemic load. A follow-up questionnaire was administered four years later
to ascertain whether any of the patients had been diagnosed with diabetes; confirmation
of diabetes was later obtained from licensed medical practitioners.
Results showed that high intakes of starch, total cereal foods, bread, white bread,
and "other cereal" products (including sweet-flavored cereals) were associated with
higher GI, while high intakes of fruit and vegetables were associated with lower GI.
Bread intake, particularly white bread, also had a positive association with diabetes.
Patients who consumed the highest quartile of white bread were 37 percent more likely
to be diagnosed with diabetes than those with the least frequent bread intake. Intakes
of total carbohydrates, sugars, and magnesium had an inverse association with the risk
of developing diabetes; fiber had no influence on diabetes risk.
"Our data suggest that a diet with high carbohydrate content and a low GI may
reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes," the authors concluded. They added that white
bread "was the food most strongly related to diabetes incidence and was also the most
strongly associated with GI." The authors suggest that a "simple
change" from white bread to breads with a lower glycemic index could reduce the risk of diabetes, and that
"changing bread type may be a more acceptable dietary change than one requiring a whole new
eating pattern."
Source
- Hodge AM, O'Dea K, English DR, Giles GG. Glycemic index and
dietary fiber and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care
November 2004;27(11):2701-2706.