Jenkins et al. tested the effects of a low-glycemic index diet or a high-cereal fibre diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in 210 patients with type 2 diabetes. After the 6-month treatment period, patients on the low-glycemic index diet reduced their body weight to a significantly greater extent than patients on the high-cereal fibre diet (p=0.053). Moreover, these patients significantly decreased their glycated hemoglobin (p<0.001) and fasting glucose levels (p=0.02). Although modest, changes in the LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (p=0.047) and in HDL cholesterol concentrations (p=0.005) were also in favour of the low-glycemic index diet as compared to the high-cereal fibre diet. Therefore, a low-glycemic index diet seems an effective component of a whole strategy aimed at improving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Documentation centre