Carbohydrates are controversial when it comes to diet these days. But what separates the good from the bad is a food's glycemic load, which has a big impact on blood sugar levels.
Every food you eat affects your body differently, and not just in terms of your long-range health, but also in the way it is processed and the effect it has on your energy level and blood sugar.
Glycemic Load and Diet: The Basics
The glycemic load is a classification of different carbohydrates that measures their impact on the body and blood sugar. The glycemic load details the amount of carbohydrates a food contains and its glycemic index, a measurement of its impact on blood sugar. “The glycemic index ranks foods based on how quickly they're digested and get into the bloodstream," says Sandra Meyerowitz, MPH, RD, a nutritionist and owner of Nutrition Works in Louisville, Ky. “Its glycemic load takes into consideration every component of the food as a whole, so it's a different number. It changes everything."
Because the glycemic load of a food looks at both components, the same food can have a high glycemic index, but an overall low glycemic load, making it better for you than it originally might have appeared.
Glycemic Load and Diet: The Effect on Your Health
Foods with a low glycemic load keep blood sugar levels consistent, meaning that you avoid experiencing the highs and lows that can be caused by blood sugar that jumps too high and quickly drops — the candy bar effect.
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Watching the glycemic load of the foods you eat can have a big impact on your health in many ways. A diet focused on foods with a low glycemic load can:
Make it easier to lose weight and avoid the dreaded diet plateau
Keep blood sugar levels more consistent
Burn more calories
Help prevent insulin resistance and diabetesLower heart disease risk
"It makes more sense to use the glycemic load because when you eat a food you don’t just eat one food by itself — you eat a whole bunch of foods together," says Meyerowitz. Looking at the total picture of foods you eat, rather than just the individual pieces, gives you a clearer and more accurate picture of the foods that make up your diet.
Glycemic Load and Diet: Glycemic Loads in Favorite Foods
It's tough to figure out on your own if a food has a high or a low glycemic load, but as a general guideline, the more fiber a food has the better. Here is a glycemic load reference list with many common foods to let you know which are low, medium, and high.
Foods with a low glycemic load of 10 or less:
Kidney, garbanzo, pinto, soy, and black beans
Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, like carrots, green peas, apples, grapefruit, and watermelon
Cereals made with 100 percent bran
Lentils
Cashews and peanuts
Whole-grain breads like barley, pumpernickel, and whole wheat
Whole-wheat tortillas
Tomato juice
Milk
Foods with a medium glycemic load of 11 to 19:
Whole-wheat pasta and some breads
Oatmeal
Rice cakes
Barley and bulgur
Fruit juices without extra sugar
Brown rice
Sweet potato
Graham crackers
Foods with a high glycemic load of 20 or more:
High-sugar beverages
Candy
Sweetened fruit juices
Couscous
White rice
White pasta
French fries and baked potatoes
Low-fiber cereals (high in added sugar)
Macaroni and cheese
Pizza
Raisins and dates
Focusing on the glycemic load of foods is particularly important for people with diabetes to help maintain a steady blood sugar, but everyone can benefit from understanding and monitoring the glycemic load in their diet.
By Diana Rodriguez
Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD
Showing posts with label heart disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart disease. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Diabetes + Depression Increases Risk of Dying from Heart Disease
Depression and diabetes appear to be associated with a significantly increased risk of death from heart disease and risk of death from all causes over a six-year period for women....
Depression affects close to 15 million U.S. adults each year and more than 23.5 million U.S. adults have diabetes, according to background information in the article. Symptoms of depression affect between one-fifth and one-fourth of patients with diabetes, nearly twice as many as individuals without diabetes. Diabetes and its complications are leading causes of death around the world.
An Pan, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues studied 78,282 women aged 54 to 79 in 2000 who were participating in the Nurses' Health Study. The women were classified as having depression if they reported being diagnosed with the condition, were treated with antidepressant medications or scored high on an index measuring depressive symptoms. Reports of Type 2 diabetes were confirmed using a supplementary questionnaire.
During six years of follow-up, 4,654 of the women died, including 979 who died from cardiovascular disease. Compared with women who did not have either condition, those with depression had a 44 percent increased risk of death, those with diabetes had a 35 percent increased risk of death and those with both conditions had approximately twice the risk of death.
When considering only deaths from cardiovascular disease, women with diabetes had a 67 percent increased risk, women with depression had a 37 percent increased risk and women with both had a 2.7-fold increased risk.
"The underlying mechanisms of the increased mortality risk associated with depression in patients with diabetes remains to be elucidated," the authors write. "It is generally suggested that depression is associated with poor glycemic control, an increased risk of diabetes complications, poor adherence to diabetes management by patients and isolation from the social network." In addition, diabetes and depression are both linked to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, and depression could trigger changes in the nervous system that adversely affect the heart.
"Considering the size of the population that could be affected by these two prevalent disorders, further consideration is required to design strategies aimed to provide adequate psychological management and support among those with longstanding chronic conditions, such as diabetes," the authors conclude.
Depression affects close to 15 million U.S. adults each year and more than 23.5 million U.S. adults have diabetes, according to background information in the article. Symptoms of depression affect between one-fifth and one-fourth of patients with diabetes, nearly twice as many as individuals without diabetes. Diabetes and its complications are leading causes of death around the world.
An Pan, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues studied 78,282 women aged 54 to 79 in 2000 who were participating in the Nurses' Health Study. The women were classified as having depression if they reported being diagnosed with the condition, were treated with antidepressant medications or scored high on an index measuring depressive symptoms. Reports of Type 2 diabetes were confirmed using a supplementary questionnaire.
During six years of follow-up, 4,654 of the women died, including 979 who died from cardiovascular disease. Compared with women who did not have either condition, those with depression had a 44 percent increased risk of death, those with diabetes had a 35 percent increased risk of death and those with both conditions had approximately twice the risk of death.
When considering only deaths from cardiovascular disease, women with diabetes had a 67 percent increased risk, women with depression had a 37 percent increased risk and women with both had a 2.7-fold increased risk.
"The underlying mechanisms of the increased mortality risk associated with depression in patients with diabetes remains to be elucidated," the authors write. "It is generally suggested that depression is associated with poor glycemic control, an increased risk of diabetes complications, poor adherence to diabetes management by patients and isolation from the social network." In addition, diabetes and depression are both linked to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, and depression could trigger changes in the nervous system that adversely affect the heart.
"Considering the size of the population that could be affected by these two prevalent disorders, further consideration is required to design strategies aimed to provide adequate psychological management and support among those with longstanding chronic conditions, such as diabetes," the authors conclude.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Stop the Progress of Prediabetes
You can prevent this precursor to Type II diabetes from developing into full-blown disease.
By Madeline Vann, MPH
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
By some estimates, one-third of adults in the United States have a condition called prediabetes; 13 percent have type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes may be more common in men (36 percent) than in women (23 percent).
Prediabetes means that while your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, that level isn’t high enough to warrant a diabetes diagnosis. However, a prediabetes diagnosis means it is time for action to prevent diabetes. "In simple terms, there is a gap between what we call diabetes, which is a fasting blood sugar of 126 and above, and normal, which is less than 100 fasting," explains Vivian Fonseca, MD, a professor of medicine and pharmacology and chief of endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
"In between," he continues, "you have impaired fasting glucose. If you do a glucose tolerance test, and you are in the gap, you have prediabetes. You are at risk for getting diabetes in the future and you are also at risk for heart disease."
Type 2 Diabetes: Prevention
If are told your blood sugar is abnormally high, you’ve just had a red flag waved in front of you. You’re being warned that unless you make some changes in your life today, your future will probably include a diabetes diagnosis.
"Walking 30 minutes a day and reducing weight by 5 percent can decrease the risk [of getting type 2 diabetes] by 60 percent over three years," says Dr. Fonseca. While there are medications that have the same effect, lifestyle change is less expensive and has fewer side effects, Fonseca says.
Cutting your weight is crucial. "One of the links with obesity is that fat induces a mild low-grade inflammation throughout the body that contributes to heart disease and diabetes," Fonseca explains. Without making any changes, you could develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years of first developing prediabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: Who should be Tested?
Prediabetes is a "silent" condition, says Fonseca. While some people may experience symptoms of diabetes such as fatigue or increased urination, most people’s blood sugar rises without any outward signs at all. This means you might not know you need to be tested for prediabetes — and even if you are screened, your doctor might not give you all the information you need to prevent it.
For these reasons, diabetes experts developed criteria for those who should be tested. The American Diabetic Association recommends that any adult age 45 or older should be tested for diabetes and prediabetes.
The ADA also recommends that any adult under age 45 who is overweight and has at least one of the following risk factors should be tested:
• Family history (especially parent or sibling with diabetes)
• Physically inactive lifestyle
• Native American, African-American, or Hispanic heritage
• Prior gestational diabetes diagnosis
• Birth of a baby over nine pounds in weight
• High blood pressure or treatment for high blood pressure
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis
• Dark, velvety rash around the armpits or neck
• History of heart disease
If your test reveals that you have prediabetes, you should be tested again in one to two years, depending on your doctor’s recommendations.
Type 2 Diabetes: Types of Tests
There are two tests used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes:
• Fasting plasma glucose: a test of your blood after you haven’t eaten for eight hours (usually overnight)
• Oral glucose tolerance test: a comparison of your blood taken first after eight hours without food (fasting) and then two hours later after you have consumed a sugary drink given to you by the lab technician.
If you fit the screening criteria listed above, make an appointment to get tested as soon as possible. It could be the first step toward preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.
By Madeline Vann, MPH
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
By some estimates, one-third of adults in the United States have a condition called prediabetes; 13 percent have type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes may be more common in men (36 percent) than in women (23 percent).
Prediabetes means that while your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, that level isn’t high enough to warrant a diabetes diagnosis. However, a prediabetes diagnosis means it is time for action to prevent diabetes. "In simple terms, there is a gap between what we call diabetes, which is a fasting blood sugar of 126 and above, and normal, which is less than 100 fasting," explains Vivian Fonseca, MD, a professor of medicine and pharmacology and chief of endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
"In between," he continues, "you have impaired fasting glucose. If you do a glucose tolerance test, and you are in the gap, you have prediabetes. You are at risk for getting diabetes in the future and you are also at risk for heart disease."
Type 2 Diabetes: Prevention
If are told your blood sugar is abnormally high, you’ve just had a red flag waved in front of you. You’re being warned that unless you make some changes in your life today, your future will probably include a diabetes diagnosis.
"Walking 30 minutes a day and reducing weight by 5 percent can decrease the risk [of getting type 2 diabetes] by 60 percent over three years," says Dr. Fonseca. While there are medications that have the same effect, lifestyle change is less expensive and has fewer side effects, Fonseca says.
Cutting your weight is crucial. "One of the links with obesity is that fat induces a mild low-grade inflammation throughout the body that contributes to heart disease and diabetes," Fonseca explains. Without making any changes, you could develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years of first developing prediabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: Who should be Tested?
Prediabetes is a "silent" condition, says Fonseca. While some people may experience symptoms of diabetes such as fatigue or increased urination, most people’s blood sugar rises without any outward signs at all. This means you might not know you need to be tested for prediabetes — and even if you are screened, your doctor might not give you all the information you need to prevent it.
For these reasons, diabetes experts developed criteria for those who should be tested. The American Diabetic Association recommends that any adult age 45 or older should be tested for diabetes and prediabetes.
The ADA also recommends that any adult under age 45 who is overweight and has at least one of the following risk factors should be tested:
• Family history (especially parent or sibling with diabetes)
• Physically inactive lifestyle
• Native American, African-American, or Hispanic heritage
• Prior gestational diabetes diagnosis
• Birth of a baby over nine pounds in weight
• High blood pressure or treatment for high blood pressure
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis
• Dark, velvety rash around the armpits or neck
• History of heart disease
If your test reveals that you have prediabetes, you should be tested again in one to two years, depending on your doctor’s recommendations.
Type 2 Diabetes: Types of Tests
There are two tests used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes:
• Fasting plasma glucose: a test of your blood after you haven’t eaten for eight hours (usually overnight)
• Oral glucose tolerance test: a comparison of your blood taken first after eight hours without food (fasting) and then two hours later after you have consumed a sugary drink given to you by the lab technician.
If you fit the screening criteria listed above, make an appointment to get tested as soon as possible. It could be the first step toward preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.
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