Abstract
Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity have risen precipitously in the United States and other developed countries since the 1960s, despite comprehensive public health efforts to combat this problem. Although considerable attention has been focused on decreasing dietary fat and increasing physical activity level, the potential relevance of the dietary glycemic index to obesity treatment has received comparatively little scientific notice. This review examines how the glycemic and insulinemic responses to diet may affect body weight regulation, and argues for the potential utility of low glycemic index diets in the prevention and treatment of obesity and related complications.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- GI:
-
glycemic index
- GL:
-
glycemic load
References
Jenkins, D.J., Wolever, T.M., Taylor, R.H., Barker, H., Fiedlen, H., Baldwin, J.M., Bowling, A.C., Newman, H.C., Jenkins, A.L., and Goff, D.V. (1981) Glycemic Index of Foods: A Physiological Basis for Carbohydrate Exchange, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 34, 362–366.
Wolever, T.M., Jenkins, D.J., Jenkins, A.L., and Josse, R.G. (1991) The Glycemic Index: Methodology and Clinical Implications, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 54, 846–854.
Salmeron, J., Manson, J.E., Stampfer, M.J., Colditz, G.A., Wing, A.L., and Willett, W.C. (1997) Dietary Fiber, Glycemic Load, and Risk of Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus in Women, J. Am. Med. Assoc. 277, 472–477.
Foster-Powell, K., Holt, S.H., and Brand-Miller, J.C. (2002) International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2002, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 76, 5–56.
Jenkins, D.J., Ghafari, H., Wolever, T.M., Taylor, R.H., Jenkins, A.L., Barker, H.M., Fielden, H., and Bowling, A.C. (1982) Relationship Between the Rate of Digestion of Foods and Postprandial Glycaemia, Diabetologia 22, 450–455.
Bjorck, I., Granfeldt, Y., Liljeberg, H., Tovar, J., and Asp, N.G. (1994) Food Properties Affecting the Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, 699S-705S.
Granfeldt, Y., Hagander, B., and Bjorck, I. (1995) Metabolic Responses to Starch in Oat and Wheat Products. On the Importance of Food Structure, Incomplete Gelatinization or Presence of Viscous Dietary Fibre, Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 49, 189–199.
Welch, I.M., Bruce, C., Hill, S.E., and Read, N.W. (1987) Duodenal and Ileal Lipid Suppresses Postprandial Blood Glucose and Insulin Responses in Man: Possible Implications for the Dietary Management of Diabetes Mellitus, Clin. Sci. 72, 209–216.
Trout, D.L., Behall, K.M., and Osilesi, O. (1993) Prediction of Glycemic Index for Starchy Foods, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 58, 873–878.
Estrich, D., Ravnik, A., Schlierf, G., Fukayama, G., and Kinsell, L. (1967) Effects of Co-ingestion of Fat and Protein upon Carbohydrate-Induced Hyperglycemia, Diabetes 16, 232–237.
Wahlqvist, M.L., Wilmshurst, E.G., and Richardson, E.N. (1978) The Effect of Chain Length on Glucose Absorption and the Related Metabolic Response, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 31, 1998–2001.
Wolever, T.M., and Jenkins, D.J. (1986) The Use of the Glycemic Index in Predicting the Blood Glucose Response to Mixed Meals, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 43, 167–172.
Jenkins, D.J., and Jenkins, A.L. (1985) Dietary Fiber and the Glycemic Response, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 180, 422–431.
Nuttall, F.Q., Mooradian, A.D., Gannon, M.C., Billington, C., and Krezowski, P. (1984) Effect of Protein Ingestion on the Glucose and Insulin Response to a Standardized Oral Glucose Load, Diabetes Care 7, 465–470.
Haber, G.B., Heaton, K.W., Murphy, D., and Burroughs, L.F. (1977) Depletion and Disruption of Dietary Fibre. Effects on Satiety, Plasma-Glucose, and Serum-Insulin, Lancet 2, 679–682.
Holt, S., Brand, J., Soveny, C., and Hansky, J. (1992) Relationship of Satiety to Postprandial Glycaemic, Insulin and Cholecystokinin Responses, Appetite 18, 129–141.
Holt, S.H., and Miller, J.B. (1995) Increased Insulin Responses to Ingested Foods Are Associated with Lessened Satiety, Appetite 24, 43–54.
van Amelsvoort, J.M., and Weststrate, J.A. (1992) Amylose-Amylopectin Ratio in a Meal Affects Postprandial Variables in Male Volunteers, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 55, 712–718.
Leathwood, P., and Pollet, P. (1988) Effects of Slow Release Carbohydrates in the Form of Bean Flakes on the Evolution of Hunger and Satiety in Man, Appetite 10, 1–11.
Rodin, J. (1991) Effects of Pure Sugar vs. Mixed Starch Fructose Loads on Food Intake, Appetite 17, 213–219.
Rodin, J., Reed, D., and Jamner, L. (1988) Metabolic Effects of Fructose and Glucose: Implications for Food Intake, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 47, 683–689.
Spitzer, L., and Rodin, J. (1987) Effects of Fructose and Glucose Preloads on Subsequent Food Intake, Appetite 8, 135–145.
Ludwig, D.S. (2000) Dietary Glycemic Index and Obesity, J. Nutr. 130, 280S-283S.
Ludwig, D.S., Majzoub, J.A., Al-Zahrani, A., Dallal, G.E., Blanco, I., and Roberts, S.B. (1999) High Glycemic Index Foods, Overeating, and Obesity, Pediatrics 103, E26.
Leibel, R.L., Rosenbaum, M., and Hirsch, J. (1995) Changes in Energy Expenditure Resulting from Altered Body Weight, N. Engl. J. Med. 332, 621–628.
Rosenbaum, M., Leibel, R.L., and Hirsch, J. (1997) Obesity, N. Engl. J. Med. 337, 396–407.
Kuczmarski, R.J., Flegal, K.M., Campbell, S.M., and Johnson, C.L. (1994) Increasing Prevalence of Overweight Among U.S. Adults. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1960 to 1991, J. Am. Med. Assoc. 272, 205–211.
Agus, M.S.D., Swain, J.F., Larson, C.L., Eckert, E.A., and Ludwig, D.S. (2000) Dietary Composition and Physiologic Adaptations to Energy Restriction, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71, 901–907.
Pellett, P.L. (1990) Food Energy Requirements in Humans, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 51, 711–722.
Slabber, M., Barnard, H.C., Kuyl, J.M., Dannhauser, A., and Schall, R. (1994) Effects of a Low-Insulin-Response, Energy-Restricted Diet on Weight Loss and Plasma Insulin Concentrations in Hyperinsulinemic Obese Females, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 60, 48–53.
Bouche, C., Rizkalla, S.W., Luo, J., Vidal, H., Veronese, A., Pacher, N., Fouquet, C., Lang, V., and Slama, G. (2002) Five-Week, Low-Glycemic Index Diet Decreases Total Fat Mass and Improves Plasma Lipid Profile in Moderately Overweight Nondiabetic Men, Diabetes Care 25, 822–828.
Spieth, L.E., Harnish, J.D., Lenders, C.M., Raezer, L.B., Pereira, M.A., Hangen, J., and Ludwig, D.S. (2000) A Low-Glycemic Index Diet in the Treatment of Pediatric Obesity, Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 154, 947–951.
Ludwig, D.S. (2002) The Glycemic Index, Physiological Mechanisms Relating to Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease, J. Am. Med. Assoc. 287, 2414–2423.
Anonymous (1993) Methods for Voluntary Weight Loss and Control. NIH Technology Assessment Conference Panel. Consensus Development Conference, 30 March to 1 April 1992, Ann. Intern. Med. 119, 764–770.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Revised from a paper originally published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia (Vol. 24, pp. 286–293) with permission of the Nutrition Society of Australia.
About this article
Cite this article
Ludwig, D.S. Dietary glycemic index and the regulation of body weight. Lipids 38, 117–121 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-003-1040-x
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-003-1040-x