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Low-glycemic index diet improved glycemic control better than high-fiber diet
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Patients with type 2 diabetes who adhered to a low-glycemic index diet experienced greater improvements in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease compared with patients who followed a high-cereal fiber diet.
Researchers analyzed the effects of a low-glycemic diet vs. high-fiber diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors. They randomly assigned 210 patients to one of the two diet regimens. All patients were currently treated with antihypertensive medications.
The low-glycemic index diet emphasized beans, peas, lentils, nuts, pasta, rice and cereals whereas the high-fiber diet emphasized whole grains, brown rice, potatoes with skins, whole wheat bread and crackers. Patients were also encouraged to consume three servings of fruits and five servings of vegetables per day.
During six months, HbA1c decreased more among patients assigned to the low-glycemic index diet (0.50% vs. 0.18%).
HDL increased by 1.7 mg/dL among patients assigned to the low-glycemic index diet and decreased 0.2 mg/dL among patients assigned to the high-fiber diet. Patients in the low-glycemic index diet group also showed a greater reduction in LDL:HDL ratio.
“These data have important implications for the treatment of diabetes where the goal has been tight glycemic control to avoid complications,” the researchers wrote.
JAMA. 2008;300:2742-2753.