Guest guest Posted November 15, 2004 Report Share Posted November 15, 2004 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch Staff of Life Mon, 15 Nov 2004 08:40:10 -0500 Staff of Life Health Sciences Institute e-Alert November 15, 2004 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, A doctor once recommended bread to aid the digestive tract. That doctor was the Greek father of medicine, Hippocrates, who recognized the nutritional value of fiber, bran, vitamins and minerals found in stone-ground flour. Needless to say, none of the bread of Hippocrates' time resembled today's commercial white bread, which was first developed about a century ago. In the past 100 years, widespread consumption of white bread has done nobody any good. And as two new studies show, your choice of bread may have a lot to do with whether or not you become overweight or develop type 2 diabetes. --------------------------- Culprit caught --------------------------- Researchers at the Cancer Council in Victoria, Australia, didn't set out to study bread. The original scope of their study was designed to examine associations between type 2 diabetes risk and the intake of different kinds of food. The foods were evaluated by using the glycemic index (GI). In the e-Alert " So Five Minutes Ago " (2/23/04), I told you how foods that are classified as low GI (such as most fruits and vegetables) prompt a slow increase in blood sugar levels, while high GI foods (such as processed baked goods and starchy foods) produce a quick spike in blood sugar levels. A steady intake of high GI foods promotes a gradual insensitivity to insulin – the precursor of type 2 diabetes. As reported in the journal Diabetes Care, the Australian team studied the medical records and eating habits of more than 36,700 men and women over a period of four years. The subjects' ages ranged from 40 to 69 years at the outset of the study, and none had been diagnosed with diabetes. More than 360 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified by the end of the study period. The data confirmed that a diet with a high GI rating was associated with an elevated risk of diabetes. More specifically, the researchers singled out white bread as the one food most strongly related to the development of diabetes. The researchers wrote that diabetes risk might be reduced by cutting white bread products from the diet, and replacing them with breads that have lower GI ratings. --------------------------- Whole grain, plus something extra --------------------------- As I've pointed out in other e-Alerts, many of the whole grain breads that line grocery store shelves consist of mostly white bread with a little coloring added to give them a whole grain look. And according to a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it's well worth your time to read nutrition panels carefully to make sure the bread you buy is genuinely whole grain. A research team lead by the Harvard School of Public Health used periodic questionnaires to follow the dietary habits of more than 27,000 men for eight years. The subjects measured and reported body weight at the beginning and end of the study. Unlike the Australian study, this research specifically examined the intake of whole-grain, bran and cereal fiber. The Harvard team found that subjects who consumed the most whole grains tended to have the lowest weight gain. This association held true even when added bran or fiber intakes fluctuated. So while it's not a surprise that whole grains would turn out to be a healthier choice than highly processed flour products, the researchers concluded that " additional components in whole grains may contribute to favorable metabolic alterations that may reduce long-term weight gain. " In other words, the value of whole grain food may go well beyond the positive benefits of good fiber intake. Which probably would come as no surprise to Hippocrates. --------------------------- Checking the index --------------------------- In addition to helping regulate weight, true whole grain breads also contain enough fiber to inhibit blood sugar spikes. That's why whole grains tend to rate low on the glycemic index. And there's one more clear advantage to choosing a genuine whole grain bread over a white bread: Whole grains don't trigger carbohydrate cravings. This is one of the worst aspects about foods with a high GI: They actually make you hungrier than foods with a low GI. As a result, you end up eating more. And if the foods you're eating more of are high GI, you're caught in a vicious cycle that can only lead to weight gain and all of the other problems that come tagging along as the pounds increase. The solution is to become aware of the GI value of the foods you eat, and a web site operated by the University of Sydney now makes that very easy to do. The site (glycemicindex.com) provides a GI Database where you can search for the glycemic index of different types of food. The slight drawback for those of us in the U.S. is that the database is sometimes specific about brand names, which are mostly Australian and European. Nevertheless, the database still offers an excellent guide for making low GI dietary choices. ************************************************************** ....and another thing For those who wish to kick heartburn or acid reflux without using expensive and dangerous drugs, I have one more detail to add to last Thursday's e-Alert " Sweet Relief " (11/11/04). HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., notes that sometimes the combination of acidophilus and digestive enzymes isn't enough to treat the problem, or there may be stomach trouble due to LOW acid, which can weaken the stomach's defenses and set the stage for potential ulcers. For these cases, Dr. Spreen offers this suggestion: " I add DGL, a form of licorice that has one component removed (DGL means De- Glycerrhizinated Licorice). I use Enzymatic Therapy brand but there are other good ones. Chewing or sucking on one 20 minutes before eating can be very helpful in difficult cases. Avoiding refined sugar and white flour products also seems to help. " Avoiding white flour products? Hmmm. Where have I heard that one before? To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Glycemic Index and Dietary Fiber and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes " Diabetes Care, Vol. 27, No. 11, 11/27/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov " White Bread Linked to Diabetes " CBS News, 11/5/04, cbsnews.com " Changes in Whole-Grain, Bran, and Cereal Fiber consumption in Relation to 8-Y Weight Gain Among Men " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 5, November 2004, ajcn.org " Wholegrains Strongly Associated With Keeping Weight Off " NutraIngredients.com, 11/8/04, nutraingredients.com Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.