title: Glycemic index and heart disease.
abstract: A diet high in carbohydrates with high glycemic indexes (GI) and glycemic load were linked to risk of coronary heart disease development in women in a large prospective study. Two cross-sectional studies showed that low-GI diets are associated with high HDL-cholesterol concentrations, especially in women. In a tightly controlled study of patients with type 2 diabetes, serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B concentrations fell more significantly after a low-GI diet than after a high-GI diet. In the same study, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 concentrations were reduced by 58% after the low-GI diet. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by adipocytes was significantly higher in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery after 4 wk of consuming a low-GI diet than after consuming a high-GI diet. The effects of low-GI diets may be mediated by changes in postprandial fatty acid concentrations or by hormonal signals from adipocytes, but a possible association of low-GI diets with some other dietary factor such as chromium must not be excluded. Proof of the clinical value of low-GI diets awaits prospective trials, which should include short-term observations covering periods of metabolic stress induced by surgery as well as long-term trials with clinical endpoints.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, King's College London, United Kingdom. anthony.leeds.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Leeds
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000145:classification*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D008055:Lipids