Glycemic index may be next trend in dieting

Dieters can use the glycemic index to know which foods are likely to produce insulin, a substance which causes the body to store carbohydrates as fatty tissue. Research does indicate that diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of a person's overall diet.

• A food formula originally conceived to help diabetics is poised to become the next diet trend.
• While, of course, this probably has as much to do with the dieters as the diet, those eager to fight the flab remain ever-hopeful and are turning to other methods that appear to hold more promise.
• And the latest of those, the "glycemic index," just happens to be one of the foundations of the low-carb diet.
• The index is a ranking of carbohydrates (on a scale from 0 to 100) based on their immediate effect on blood-glucose (blood-sugar) levels.
• The importance of this is that high blood-sugar levels lead to the production of insulin, a hormone that causes the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat.
• The GI was developed for helping people with diabetes choose foods that would not cause big swings in blood-glucose levels.
• Eat a carbohydrate that is lower in sugar and contains fiber --- blueberries, for example --- and the amount of glucose entering your bloodstream comes at a slower and more steady rate.
• Each week, 'Today' Food Editor Phil Lempert brings you the latest information and advice about shopping and cooking.
• · LAST WEEK: The glycemic index: Is it the next diet fad?
• Steal this chef's perfect pear recipe Hit or Miss?
• That's not the only potential benefit: Not only do people who follow the index tend to lose weight, but researchers have found that it can reduce the amount of LDL (the so-called "bad") cholesterol.
• In addition, recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet.