Research

Hormonal

Adopting low glycaemic index (GI) or low glycaemic load (GL) dietary patterns results in small but clinically significant improvements in glycaemic control (HbA1c) and cardiometabolic risk factors (lipids, inflammation, adiposity) for adults with moderately controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes, even when concurrent with standard pharmacotherapy.

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, switching to a low GI or GL diet can help lower your HbA1c and improve cholesterol and inflammation, even if you are already taking diabetes medication. You don't need to change everything at once; focus on replacing high-GI carbohydrates (like white bread and sugary drinks) with lower-GI options (like legumes and whole grains). This approach is safe, effective, and works alongside your current treatment plan to help you reach your health goals.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
This synthesis suggests that low GI/GL dietary patterns result in small important improvements in established targets of glycaemic control, blood lipids, adiposity, and inflammation beyond concurrent treatment with hyperglycaemia drugs or insulin, predominantly in adults with moderately controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Laura Chiavaroli et al. · BMJ · 2021

Why this rating

High certainty for HbA1c and moderate for secondary outcomes, based on GRADE assessment of RCTs.

Source

Effect of low glycaemic index or load dietary patterns on glycaemic control and cardiometabolic risk factors in diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Laura Chiavaroli et al. · BMJ · 2021

DOI 10.1136/bmj.n1651

Meta-analysis · 29 studiesCited 202×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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