According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, a low-glycemic index diet may not be of much help for obese people trying to lose weight.
Researchers studied whether a reduction in the glycemic index of a diet already low in calories would be beneficial for a group of obese adults. To study this, researchers compared the effects of three low-calorie diets with different glycemic loads on 29 obese adults. All of the diets - high glycemic index, low glycemic index or high fat - provided 3138 kJ less than estimated energy needs.
For the first 12 weeks, all food was provided to subjects and then 22 subjects were instructed to follow the assigned diet for 24 additional weeks (free-living phase). At 12 weeks, weight changes from baseline were significant in all groups but not different among groups, said the researchers. All groups had improved insulin sensitivity.
During the free-living phase, all groups maintained their initial weight loss and their improved insulin sensitivity but weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity scores were independent of diet composition. During the free-living phase, all groups maintained their initial weight loss and their improved insulin sensitivity but weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity scores were independent of diet composition.
Overall, lowering the glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not promote additional weight loss beyond that the energy restricted diet.
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