Macro partitioning
Total carbohydrate intake (grams) is the primary determinant of postprandial blood glucose response, explaining more variance than glycemic index alone.
Focus on counting total grams of carbohydrate first, as this has the biggest impact on your blood sugar. Use the Glycemic Index (GI) as a secondary tool to choose better sources of those carbohydrates, but do not ignore portion sizes by assuming low-GI foods can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
Carbohydrate content (total grams) alone explained 68% of the variation in glycemic load, while the glycemic index of the food explained 49%... the amount of carbohydrate ingested... accounted for 57– 65% of the variability in glucose response, while the glycemic index of the carbohydrate explained a similar amount (60%) of the variance.
Why this rating
Based on multiple regression analyses and meta-analyses cited (Brand-Miller, Wolever), though observational variability exists.
Source
Dietary Carbohydrate (Amount and Type) in the Prevention and Management of Diabetes
Nancy F. Sheard et al. · Diabetes Care · 2004
DOI 10.2337/diacare.27.9.2266
More from this paper
- Restricting total carbohydrate intake to less than 130 g/day is not recommended for the management of diabetes.Strong
- Moderate weight loss markedly reduces the development of type 2 diabetes in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, independent of glycemic index/load.Strong
- Implementing a low-glycemic index (GI) diet provides an additional benefit to blood glucose control (lowered A1C) compared to diets focusing solely on total carbohydrate amount.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →