title: The β-cell burden index of food: A proposal.
abstract: The quantity and quality of dietary fat and/or carbohydrate may alter one or more of the basic components of the insulin-glucose system, which in turn affect the pathways leading to alterations in glucose homeostasis and, possibly, to cardiovascular disease. This viewpoint article, reviewing some of the currently available tools aiming at quantifying the impact of dietary carbohydrates on the glucose-insulin homeostatic loop, highlights the unmet need of a more thorough assessment of the complex interaction between dietary factors and the glucose-insulin system. A novel index, the "β-cell burden index", may turn out to be a valuable tool to quantify the role played by the diet in shaping the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic and degenerative disorders, ideally orienting their prevention with strategies based on dietary modifications.
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Food Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.scazzina@unipr.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scazzina
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Italy; Division of Endocrinology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: alessandra.deicas@unipr.it.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dei Cas
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Food Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: daniele.delrio@unipr.it.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Del Rio
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Food Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: furio.brighenti@unipr.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brighenti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Italy; Division of Endocrinology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: bonadonna.riccardo@fastwebnet.it.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Bonadonna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D038321:Glycemic Index; D000067940:Glycemic Load; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D007328:Insulin
keywords: C-peptide secretion; Glucose-insulin system; Glycemic index; Insulin index; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; β-cell burden index