ABSTRACT
Public health has shifted its focus from fat intake back to carbohydrate intake as an important marker of dietary quality to manage cardiovascular health. The glycemic index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrates in foods according to how they affect fasting blood glucose (FBG) (Jenkins et al., 1981). It has been gaining attention for its clinical utility in managing chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Mitchell, 2008). Meta-analyses have consistently reported a reduced
cardiovascular risk when comparing the highest with the lowest quantile of GI intakes (Fan et al., 2012; Mirrahimi et al., 2012). There is also strong consistent evidence that GI benefits low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (Fleming and Godwin, 2013; Goff et al., 2013), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and diabetes risk factors (Ajala et al., 2013). However, the evidence for the effects of GI on other cardiometabolic outcomes has been less consistent. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have suggested that GI may improve body weight only in overweight/obese people and the effects on blood pressure are mixed (Schwingshackl and Hoffmann, 2013). Despite inconsistencies in the data, sufficient positive findings have emerged to suggest that the dietary GI is of potential importance in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. These benefits have led to the inclusion of GI on food labels in Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa to guide consumers for food purchases (Mitchell, 2008) (see Chapter 12).
