Going low-GI is not only beneficial to diabetes community, it is also good for people in general in different areas:
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1. Reduce The Risk of Suffering Type 2 Diabetes
Eating food with a low glycemic index can reduce the chance of large blood sugar fluctuations, and thus limits the release of insulin which is a key hormone secreted by the pancreas. Going low-GI can reduce the pressure of the pancreas and help us to stay away from Type 2 Diabetes.
2. Control Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)
The speed of converting low-GI food into glucose is slower than other food. It can stabilize the blood glucose level. Research has proven that a healthy low GI diet helps people with both type 1 and type 2 Diabetes to regulate their blood glucose levels, blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of long term diabetes related complications.
3. Achieve Healthy Weights
Since low-GI food needs more time to be digested, absorbed and assimilated so it can lengthen the duration of being full. Therefore, a low-GI diet helps people to maintain goal weights by managing hunger. Food with a low glycemic index does not require lots of insulin to stabilize the blood glucose level, and hence, the formation of fat will be minimised.
As a result, low-GI food can help avoid overweight and obesity which are major causes of Type 2 Diabetes and heart diseases.
4. Heart Health
Besides reducing the risk of overweight and obesity, low-GI food helps people to maintain a healthy heart in several ways.
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Low-GI diets with high water soluble fiber can indubitaly reduce total cholesterol levels.
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Stable post-meal blood glucose levels can help blood vessel walls stay elastic.
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Minimise fat formation inside blood vessels
5. Healthy Pregnancy
Study found that the offsprings of pregnant women with gestational diabetes will have an opportunistic rate of pre-diabetes or diabetes at about 7 years of age, which is three times that of children of the same age.
A healthy diet can protect the baby from suffering diabetes or obesity when he or she grows older. A low-GI diet is considered as one of the most effective ways of ensuring the baby grows healthily.
6. Prevent post-meal sleepiness
Sleepiness is related to the blood glucose level inside the human body. If the blood glucose level is too low, the body will give out the signal of sleepiness. High-GI food boosts the blood glucose level rapidly, more insulin will be secreted and control the level. This fluctuation leads to a low glucose level in the brain, thus drive people sleepy. It explains why people feel sleepy after eating rice. In contrary, low-GI food contains complex carbs that are digested steadily and slowly and it gives the brain a stable level of blood glucose.
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7. Improve Sports Performance
Evidence shows that low-GI food is able to extend endurance when eaten 1 to 2 hours before the exercises, especially those take a longer duration, like football and marathon. While for high-GI food, it gives energy immediately. Thus it fails to maintain energy level in prolonged strenuous exercise.
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References:
1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2014/03/17/benefits-of-a-low-glycemic-approach-to-eating/#2dde8b0d6fa3
2. http://www.diabetes-hk.org/page/ch/%E5%81%A5%E5%BA%B7%E9%A3%B2%E9%A3%9F%20-%20%E5%8D%87%E7%B3%96%E6%8C%87%E6%95%B8; https://www.gisymbol.com/why-follow-a-low-gi-diet/
3. http://www.diabetes-hk.org/page/ch/%E5%81%A5%E5%BA%B7%E9%A3%B2%E9%A3%9F%20-%20%E5%8D%87%E7%B3%96%E6%8C%87%E6%95%B8; https://www.gisymbol.com/why-follow-a-low-gi-diet/, http://www.stm.org.tw/diabetes/pop/%E7%B3%96%E5%B0%BF%E7%97%85%E5%B0%88%E5%88%8ANo11-2.pdf
4., 5. https://www.gisymbol.com/why-follow-a-low-gi-diet/
6. https://www.gotrip.hk/weekend_lifestyle/lifestyle/%E6%89%93%E5%B7%A5%E4%BB%94-%E7%9C%BC%E7%9E%93%E9%A3%9F%E7%89%A9/6/