The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (123 page)

Diabetes

Diabetes
is a disease in which the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or doesn't use it properly. The human body uses insulin to convert sugars into
the energy needed for daily life. Think of it as a key that unlocks the door to your cells so the sugars from the food you eat can enter your bloodstream and be used as energy. This system is impaired in people with diabetes, causing them to have excess blood sugar and high insulin levels. Following a low-glycemic diet helps you avoid large blood sugar spikes so you can more easily control your blood sugar with less insulin. (Why? Because low-glycemic foods release sugar into your body more slowly than high-glycemic foods.)

Scientists haven't always been certain that low-glycemic diets make a big impact on diabetes because of all the variables involved, such as portion size and the individual way people metabolize sugars. A recent review of current research looked at whether a low-glycemic diet or a low glycemic load diet (which takes portion size into account; see Chapter 4 for details on glycemic load) helped people with Type 1 diabetes and people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugars. The results showed that a low-glycemic diet helps with both types of diabetes. Researchers found that following a low-glycemic diet decreased Hgb A1C levels by .5 percent. (
Hgb A1C
is a lab measurement that gives a big picture of a person's blood sugar over several weeks or months.) Another review of research studies found that a low-glycemic diet resulted in decreased Hgb A1C levels by .43 percent compared to diets touting high-glycemic foods. The conclusion from this review? Following a low-glycemic diet has a small but clinically useful effect on blood sugar control. More research is needed, but clearly studies are showing that a low-glycemic diet can be helpful in managing both types of diabetes.

If you have diabetes, you're probably familiar with carbohydrate counting. Don't throw that out the window; doing so could be detrimental to your health (and could get you in trouble with your doctor!). Instead, continue using carbohydrate counting and other tools while also using a low-glycemic diet as a way to choose good carbohydrate sources. Being diabetic means you need to pay more attention to your food intake (what, how much, and when). If you haven't seen a registered dietitian, now would be a great time to schedule an appointment to help put all of these puzzle pieces together into a manageable form.

Here are some simple dietary guidelines for using a low-glycemic diet to help manage your diabetes:

Be cautious of portion sizes.
Much of the glycemic load information t there is based on smaller portions than you may eat normally.

Eat healthy foods that are low-glycemic instead of loading up on low-glycemic foods that aren't so healthy.
Junk food (think Snickers bars and chocolate cake) is still junk food, no matter how low the glycemic level.

Always test your blood sugar so you can monitor how your dietary choices are stacking up.
You're a unique individual and may metabolize foods differently than others. That's why it's important to keep track of what's going on with you and only you.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

The hormones of women who have
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
(PCOS) are out of balance, which leads to various problems, including ov
arian cysts, irregular menstrual cycles, fertility issues, weight gain, acne, skin tags, excess body and facial hair, and thinning hair on the scalp. If left untreated, PCOS can lead to diabetes and heart disease. The exact reason PCOS occurs isn't yet known, but scientists believe there may be a link between insulin resistance and PCOS, which is why a low-glycemic diet is helpful.

Insulin resistance reduces insulin sensitivity, which causes less blood sugar from the foods you eat to enter your cells to be used as energy. The cells become resistant to insulin, and the pancreas responds by releasing more and more insulin to help the blood sugar enter the cells. In return, these high insulin levels stimulate the ovaries to produce large amounts of the male hormone testosterone, which in turn leads to symptoms such as infertility and ovarian cysts. This buildup of blood sugar remains in the bloodstream and is sent to the liver and muscles. After it reaches the liver, it's converted to fat and stored throughout the body, leading to weight gain and obesity. You can see what a challenging health condition PCOS is. If you have it, I'm sure you've experienced many of these obstacles to your well-being.

Getting blood sugar and insulin levels under control is a key factor in treating individuals with PCOS, and following a low-glycemic diet can help lessen blood sugar spikes and keep insulin levels down. It can also help reduce the weight gain that results with PCOS. Granted, further research is still required to gauge the exact impact of a low-glycemic diet on PCOS, but until that data is available, know that this diet provides you with a good strategy for getting your blood sugar and insulin well under control.

If you have PCOS and want to try a low-glycemic diet, follow these guidelines:

Choose low-glycemic carbohydrates in the appropriate portion sizes for meals and snacks.

Eat a diet that gives you 40 to 50 percent of your calories from carbohydrates (compared to the normal 60 percent). Although research is needed in this area, many professionals agree that women with PCOS do better with a lower-carbohydrate diet.