Carbs Double Heart Disease Risk in Women
Reported April 15, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Women, beware: A high-carb diet may double your risk of heart disease.
New research illuminates the health risk that foods with a high glycemic index pose to the body — particularly in women. Carbohydrates with a high glycemic index raise blood sugar levels at a faster rate than foods with a low index. Foods that are high on the glycemic index tend to be white and starchy, like potatoes, white bread and doughnuts.
A study out of Italy finds women who ate the highest glycemic load in their diet had 2.24 times the risk of heart disease compared to women with the lowest glycemic load. Carbohydrate intake, glycemic index and glycemic load did not influence heart disease risk in men.
Researchers say while further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between glycemic load and heart disease in women, sex-related differences in lipoprotein and glucose metabolism may play a role.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, April 12, 2010