Glycemic Index Dieting

Dieting based on glycemic index has been a hot topic for a while now. More commonly now the more complex glycemic load is used in dieting. Glycemic load is the number of grams received from the product of carbohydrates and the glycemic index, divided by one hundred.

Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller of Australia became famous after doing a 12-week study for young adults of excessive weights to measure the effects of four popular diets. What all four of these diets had in common was that fat was maintained at about 30% of total calories. The total calories were themselves measured out to about 1900 for the men and 1400 for the women.

One of the key elements studied was how dieting based on the glycemic index compared to diets rich in protein. Dr. Brand-Miller wanted to know how these different types of dieting would influence weight loss. She also measured the correlations between the diets and negative cardiovascular developments.

Below is a list of the daily specifications for each diet:

Diet One - Glycemic Load: 127 Grams
Carbohydrate = 55% of total calories
Fat = 30% of total calories
Protein = 15% of total calories

Diet Two - Glycemic Load: 75 Grams
Fat = 30% of total calories

Diet Three - Glycemic Load: 87 Grams
Carbohydrate = 45% of total calories
Fat = 30% of total calories
Protein = 25% of total calories; Beef

Diet Four - Glycemic Load: 54 Grams
Fat = 30% of total calories

The Results of the Dieting

Interestingly, all of the diets resulted in nearly the same amount of decrease in weight, around 5% on average. But diet one resulted in much less fat loss than diet four. Meanwhile, the unhealthy LDL cholesterol was lower in diet two and high in diet three.

Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller believes is that these results show that glycemic load can have an impact on how we lose weight apart from the impact of total calorie consumption, as all four diets consisted of the same number of calories.

Bottom Line For Dieting Based on the Glycemic Index

You don't necessarily have to cut back on food to begin to make positive changes in your weight composition. Simply eating foods higher in soluble fiber, such as whole grains and seeds instead of eating starchy foods and drinks can make a difference.

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