A Good Carb Diet Could Be Better For You Than Atkins

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 10 Sep 2004 - 8:00 PDT

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We've all heard about the low carb diet and the no carb diet - now it's time for the 'good' carb diet.

A new regime is being hailed by doctors as a healthier alternative to the controversial but highly-popular Atkins Diet.

Called the 'GI' (low glycaemic index) diet, it is designed to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' carbohydrates. It rates foods from 0 to 100 - based on their effect on blood sugar levels.

It concentrates on the so-called 'good' carbohydrates which keep a person feeling full for longer, reducing the urge to snack.

Dieters can stick to a fairly conventional balance of protein and carbohydrates, rather than skewing the diet towards high-protein foods such as meat, eggs and cheese.

The Atkins Plan has millions of adherents in The U.S.A. and in Britain, along with celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger.

But although many have lost weight on the diet, scientists have voiced fears over potential links to diabetes, bowel cancer and breast cancer.

In a study published in The Lancet last month, two sets of rats were fed on nearly identical diets, composed of 69 per cent carbohydrates.

For one group, this was made up of 'good' carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index, the other 'bad', high-GI carbohydrates.

After 18 weeks, the high-GI group had 71 per cent more body fat than the low-GI group, which much of the fat concentrated around the middle of the rats' bodies.

Fat around the middle of the body in humans produces the 'apple' shape which is a known risk factor for heart disease. Levels of blood fats were nearly three times higher in the high GI group - another heart disease trigger in humans. Tests also showed changes in the high GI group associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

In a second study, using mice rather than rats, the results were even more marked, with the high-GI group carrying 93 per cent more body fat than the low GI group.

Dr David Ludwig, of the Children's Hospital, Boston, who led the research, said: 'The Atkins diet tries to get rid of all carbohydrates, which is excessively restrictive. You don't have to go to this extreme if you pay attention to the glycaemic index and choose low-GI carbs.' High GI carbohydrates - such as white bread, refined breakfast cereals and concentrated sugars - are rapidly digested, causing a surge of blood glucose and insulin.

Low GI carbohydrates - such as wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, noodles lentils - and many nuts - release their sugar more slowly. CONTINUES….www.diabetesnews.com