Low-Glycemic-Load Diets Make for Faster Weight Loss

Note from Connie: Sure enough, another new study arrives at the same conclusion as numerous other studies — that low-glycemic-load foods are better for weight loss. Karen James gives you the details.

Diets rich in low-glycemic-load foods such as beans and whole grains that slowly release glucose into the blood stream may be more effective for weight loss than diets containing high-glycemic-load foods like refined sugars and grains which cause blood sugar levels to quickly spike, according to a new review of scientific literature by Australian researchers and reported on by MedPage Today senior writer Judith Groch.

Diana Thomas, Ph.D., scientific director of the Centre for Evidence Based Paeditric Gastroenterology and Nutrition of the University of Sydney, and her colleagues published their findings in the Cochrane Review after reviewing six trials that looked at the effects of low-glycemic-load diets on weight loss compared to high-glycemic-load and conventional diets on overweight and obese participants. The trials lasted between five weeks and six months and contained a total of 202 participants.

The authors found that overweight and obese participants on low-glycemic-load diets not only lost an average of 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) more than those on the other diets, but their cholesterol levels decreased significantly more as well.

We’re not surprised by these findings. In fact, Connie devotes a chapter in her book SUGAR SHOCK! to the role of high-glycemic-load "culprit" carbs in causing not just obesity but type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

She also cites an interesting study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which shows that low-glycemic-load diets may be more effective than low-fat diets in preventing and treating obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.