Research

Hormonal

The risk of coronary heart disease from carbohydrate intake is significantly dependent on the Glycemic Index (GI) of the carbohydrates consumed, with higher GI amplifying the risk.

When consuming carbohydrates, their quality (Glycemic Index) significantly impacts your heart disease risk. The study shows that for every 98 grams of carbohydrates consumed, the risk of CHD increases by 66% for every 10-unit increase in the GI of those carbs. To protect your heart, choose carbohydrates with a lower GI, such as whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, and limit high-GI refined carbohydrates.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
The CHD-carbohydrate RR on GI was 1.66 (95% CI, 1.23-2.25) per 98 g/d of carbohydrates per 10 units GI.
Geoffrey Livesey et al. · Mayo Clinic Proceedings Innovations Quality & Outcomes · 2019

Why this rating

Derived from dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies with valid dietary instruments.

Source

Coronary Heart Disease and Dietary Carbohydrate, Glycemic Index, and Glycemic Load: Dose-Response Meta-analyses of Prospective Cohort Studies

Geoffrey Livesey et al. · Mayo Clinic Proceedings Innovations Quality & Outcomes · 2019

DOI 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2018.12.007

Meta-analysis · 12 studiesCited 82×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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