New Glycemic Index (GI) Standard Will Help Consumers Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Diabetes;  Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Preventive Medicine
Article Date: 25 Jan 2007 - 9:00 PST

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In a world first, Standards Australia have released a standard for determining the glycemic index (GI) of carbohydrates in foods for use by food manufacturers, accreditation bodies, regulators, educational institutes, testing laboratories, and research organisations. The standard will play an important role in ensuring that Australian consumers can trust the GI claims made on food labels.

The standard which sets out a recognised scientific method to determine the GI of foods has already been submitted to the International Standards Organisation for possible adoption by member countries around the world including the US, Canada and the UK.

The publication of the standard could not be more timely with the latest Diabetes Atlas forecasting 246 million people with diabetes in 2007 and 380 million by 2025.

It's also timely with low GI food products gaining momentum worldwide as savvy consumers understand that blood glucose management matters and that a diet rich in slowly digested, low GI carbs, along with regular exercise will reduce their risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Research shows that a healthy low GI diet independently reduces the risk of diabetes by around 20 per cent - comparable to the effect of wholegrains and fibre.

Not only that, people who are choosy about their carbohydrates find that: they feel fuller for longer and are less likely to overeat:

-- they have more energy
-- their insulin levels are lower and they burn more fat
-- over time, combined with some regular daily exercise, they lose weight

One constant criticism of the GI is that it's not the best indicator of healthy food choices. As Prof. Jennie Brand-Miller told GI News: "Is there any one factor that it is a universal signpost? Fat is certainly not. We don't recommend jelly beans and soft drinks because they are low fat. Indeed, the beauty of the GI is that so many healthy choices are ALSO low GI choices - legumes, nuts, low fat dairy products, pasta and noodles, most fruits and vegetables, whole kernel breads and breakfast cereals. The GI gives us another reason, a very good reason, to recommend these foods. And for the person with diabetes, there's immediate payback (within 2 hours), not 20 years down the track."

http://ginews.blogspot.com

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