Posted on 06/07/2005 7:22:51 AM PDT by Nov3
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Foods with a low-glycemic index, which are digested relatively slowly and cause smaller increases in blood sugar, may protect the heart and blood vessels better than low-fat fare, according to the findings of a small study.
Researchers in Boston found that when obese people consumed as many carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index as they wanted, they lost just as much weight in 12 months as people who stuck with a conventional, calorie-restricted low-fat diet.
Carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index include foods such as nonstarchy vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and diary products, according to the report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dieters who watched their glycemic indices also experienced a larger decrease in fatty substances in the blood linked to heart disease and had a drop in levels of a protein that interferes with the body's ability to break down blood clots. In contrast, low-fat dieters had an increase in levels of the same protein, which may put them at higher risk of heart attack.
"Reducing (glycemic index) may be more effective than cutting back on fat over the long-term, both for weight loss and also for reducing risk of heart disease," study author Dr. David S. Ludwig told Reuters Health.
"Based on our results, and several dozen other clinical trials and epidemiological studies, I would recommend" eating foods with a low-glycemic index, added Ludwig, who is based at Children's Hospital.
The glycemic index measures how efficiently the body can metabolize carbohydrates. It ranks carbohydrates by how much a person's blood sugar rises immediately after eating, and tends to favor high-fiber foods that take longer to digest.
Ludwig and his team asked 23 obese young adults to follow either a low-fat diet or a diet in which they ate low-glycemic index foods for one year. As part of the low-glycemic index diet, people could eat as much as they wanted of foods with a low index, and got roughly 45 to 50 percent of calories from carbohydrates, and 30 to 35 percent from fat.
Low-fat dieters cut their daily intake by 250 to 500 calories, limited fat to less than 30 percent of their total calories, and got between 55 and 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates.
Ludwig noted that even though low-glycemic index dieters had no calorie limits, they likely didn't overeat because they felt less hunger after eating foods that take longer to digest.
"Numerous previous studies by our group and by others have shown that individuals feel less hunger and greater (sense of fullness) after low-glycemic index compared to high-glycemic index meals," he added.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2005.
Atkins has worked for me for over 3 1/2 years. I went from 315 to 195, XXX shirts and 48 waist to Lg and 34. Just had annual checkup and cholestrol is 161.
Adkins allows carbs. You choose how you get them. Check is out. READ THE BOOK. It makes sense.
Regards
Tom
****Thanks -- that makes sense. I've gotten to where I won't buy anything that has high fructose corn syrup in it or partially hydrogenated oils/fats.****
High fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils are evil. I don't eat them. I finally started losing weight when I went to a whole foods balanced diet. I keep the refined stuff to a bare minimum. I have lost over 100 pounds since December too. It's just plain common sense and portion control. Of course, eliminating any food that triggers cravings or negative side effects helps too.
Atkins was too low in carbs and too high in saturated fats for me and I felt horrible on it but what I'm doing is similar to South Beach although I do use real butter and regular plain yogurt, and cheeses. It's really the KISS diet.
If you do eat those higher glycemic foods like potatoes, you can lessen their impact by eating them with fat and protein.
Carolyn
This is what Dr. Atkins wrote about 30 years ago. Wonder how much money this "new" research cost?
My husband is diabetic. The one thing that will cause the quickest rise in his blood sugar is rice.
I was major cranky and getting depressed on Atkins and when I switched to a whole food, real similar to South Beach, I felt a whole lot better. No irritability, migraines, cravings, and losing weight. I am losing weight too.
The glycemic load is discussed in South Beach too. It makes more sense when you factor in the fiber, fat, protein, acidic level, all factors of how fast a food impacts insulin release.
South Beach recommends avoiding all alcohol except wine in moderation (1 glass) I know for certain alcohol messes up my blood sugar and makes my blood pressure go up. I also stop weight loss with any amount in my diet. All these viewpoints sure make it hard to tell if they are preaching or meddling.
Tried a Diet Coke with Splenda? It is much closer to the taste of Classic Coke than Diet Coke. It has that very distinctive after taste of Classic coke that is missing from Diet Coke.
My understanding is that alcohol is metabolized into sugar. Alcohol of any kind makes your blood sugar go up.
I have to say that low fat is not really "conventional, except perhaps for the 1980's.
Yes, I did. I hated it. It was wayyy too sweet.
I've ordered a Soda Club home carbonator with which I can make my own carbonated water. They have syrups which you can make regular and diet colas and other soft drinks, or you can make seltzer or club soda.
You can control the amount of carbonation and the amount of sweetness. It's an Israeli company which has had much success marketing this gadget in Europe, and hopefully it will gain popularity over here.
Carolyn
This is what I did for me. Any food that triggered cravings, hunger, uncontrolled eating, weight gain, headaches, or any other negative reaction was eliminated. Since doing that I have been able to be free from cravings, low blood sugar, migraines, bloating, fluid retention, problem skin rashes.
Milk is a problem food for me and I finally just quit drinking it. I do eat other dairy that isn't a problem. Ultimately you have to be the final say so on what is right for you. I feel so much better off of my problem foods.
I don't have a problem with blood sugar, so I'm not in a position to comment. However, in terms of low carb eating and weight loss, I found having drinks, be they wine or spirits, to have a nul effect. Sugars and alcohol elicit different responses in bodies, so you have to make your own call. I wish they would remind people of that in these diet books!
The only downside with any type of alcohol for me (especially a good red) is that it increases appetite! To counter this I have a bottle of water BEFORE I begin eating dinner or having a casual cocktail on the weekend. Water is vital and perhaps more so when eating in this fashion.
Carolyn
Dr Atkins was keen in empowering the consumer to make the right choices, by explaining the ill effect of simple carbs products.
I've been on the Atkins diet for many years now, and my cholesterol is still at the low end of the spectrum. I had a high cholesterol problem when I started the diet.
I'm not a bacon and lard person. I eat most foods, except for the white-flour, white-sugar packaged foods.
Not really.
Alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde by your liver. It'll then combine with pyruvic acid to produce acetate. The final stage converts acetate and a free water molecule to lactic acid (vinegar) and CO2.
If you drink faster than your liver can handle it, some of the acetaldehyde is released into the blood (the getting drunk part) along with the acetates ("alcohol on your breath"). It's possible that an acetate in the blood can combine with oxygen to make a molecule called oxaloacetate, which, in turn, could be converted to glucose; but that'd be a very small percentage of total amount consumed. If it happens at all.
The important part is in the second stage (acetaldehyde -> acetate), the pyruvic acid is normally used to convert glucose. Since acetaldehyde is a toxin, the liver will use the available pyruvic acid to break down the acetaldehyde first, preventing any further metabolism of glucose.
So if you are already digesting a meal, blood sugar will rise because of buildup of unconverted glucose. On the other hand, if you haven't eaten your blood sugar will drop as your brain uses up the available glucose (the brain has a different glucose metabolism than the rest of the body).
placemark
Low glycemic is not low carb, but instead refers to the glycemic index of the food. To oversimplify, how fast the particular starches (complex carbohydrates) are broken down into simple sugars. Professional bicycle racers consume up to 7000 kcals per day, sometimes more, yet most of the carbohydrates are of low glycemic value (considering that the professional road races can be anywhere from 4 to 8 hours).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.