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Health and Human Development - Important factors in diabetes

Important factors in diabetes

The glycaemic index of foods using a scale where glucose = 100.

Two dietary factors appear to be important in diabetes:

* The amount of cereal fibre in the diet.

* The glycaemic index (GI) of the diet. Studies show that diets with a
high glycaemic index and low cereal fibre content increase the risk of
developing NIDDM by two to three times. Diets with greater amounts of both
cereal fibre and more slowly digested carbohydrate appear to reduce the
risk of NIDDM.

Glycaemic Index is a measure of the time it takes for carbohydrate in the
diet to be digested and absorbed and then of raising the blood glucose
level.

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