Robert W. Griffith, MD
Two studies have reported on the effects of glycemic load in non-white women, to see if cultural differences in diet might play a relevant role in the causation of diabetes. In the first study, reported in the Archive of Internal Medicine , 59,000 black women completed food-frequency questionnaires and were then followed for 8 years. After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), the risk for type 2 diabetes increased as the glycemic index of their diet increased. On the other hand, the risk of developing diabetes decreased as consumption of cereal fiber (a low glycemic index food) increased. In a second study, also published in the same journal, followed over 64,000 Chinese women over 5 years. The glycemic index of their diet and the intake of carbohydrates (particularly rice) were associated with development of type 2 diabetes. As rice is the main carbohydrate-contributing food in Chinese, this finding is particularly relevant. As with Caucasians, both the studied ethnic groups could lower their risk of developing diabetes by introducing more cereal into their diets (provided it's not overloaded with sugar!).
Source
HealthandAge Blog
