Health Effects of High Glycemic Value
Carbs
Research into the health problems of high
glycemic value carbs is ongoing and we can expect new insights into the
relationship between carbohydrates, blood glucose, insulin and obesity,
in the future. Meantime, here is a brief outline of the health effects
of high glycemic value carbs, to date.
High GI Foods and Health
- High-glycemic-index foods trigger strong
insulin responses, thereby exposing the body to all the negative effects
of insulin. By comparison, low-glycemic value foods do not provoke this
insulin response.
- Diets containing high-glycemic-index
meals, which cause rapid and strong increases in blood-sugar levels,
have been linked to an increased risk for diabetes.
- High-glycemic-index diets have also
been linked to an increased risk for heart disease.
- Lower glycemic index diets have been
shown to help control type 2 diabetes and reduce symptoms of insulin
resistance.
- Over-consumption of high-glycemic-index
foods has been linked to food cravings and disordered eating patterns,
as a result of repeated surges and falls in blood-glucose ("sugar
spikes").
- Over-consumption of high-glycemic-index
carbohydrates may aggravate insulin resistance in patients predisposed
to the condition. Insulin resistance (called Metabolic Syndrome X, or
more properly, Insulin Resistance Syndrome) is believed to be a precursor
of type 2 diabetes.
- Insulin resistance is believed to be
a genetic condition, aggravated by obesity. However, some experts consider
that it may be the result of a separate inherited sensitivity to high-glycemic-index
carbohydrates.
- Despite the apparent associations between
high-glycemic-index carbs and insulin resistance, and the fact that
the latter can be reduced by a lower glycemic index diet plan, there
is no scientific evidence that insulin resistance is caused
by eating carbs with a high-glycemic-index rating. Insulin resistance
is largely the result of genetics, strongly influenced by body fitness
and body weight.
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