A diet with a low-glycaemic index can help people trying to lose weight. During digestion of food the body breaks down the complex food into various components, one of which is sugar. Different foods are digested at different rates. Lentils, for instance, generate a long, gentle release of sugars, while foods like white bread send a sudden rush of sugar into the blood stream. Foods that release sugars rapidly are said to have a high-glycaemic index and those that release it slowly have a low-glycaemic index. Glycaemic index refers to the effects a particular food has on blood sugar levels. High-glycaemic index foods are often seen as leading to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. To assess the effects of eating high and low glycaemic index foods, researchers at the University of Sydney conducted 6 clinical trials on 202 obese men and women, who either followed a low-glycaemic index diet or a comparison plan from 5 weeks to 6 months. The weights of the participants were tracked for up to 6 months afterwards. The results indicated that diet based on low-glycaemic index was effective at helping overweight and obese adults lose weight in the short term. The low-glycaemic index dieters were seen losing extra pounds as compared to the participants on high-glycaemic diet. What's more, these low-glycaemic index diets seemed to work somewhat better than traditional calorie- and fat-conscious weight-loss plans. Thus, by cutting down on high-glycaemic index foods, one can lose weight in a far easy, effective and rapid manner.
Cochrane Library ,
July 2007