Association of glycemic index and glycemic load with diabetes type 2 in an Iranian adult population: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program

According to inconsistent relationship of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with diabetes type 2, this study was done to assess the relationship of glycemic index and glycemic load with diabetes type 2 in an Iranian adult population.

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 1754 individuals who were a subsample of the 1st phase of Isfahan Healthy Heart Program. Basic characteristics such as age, sex, education, smoking status and physical activity were collected using a questionnaire. Dietary assessment was done with a single 24 hour recall questionnaire and glycemic index and glycemic load were calculated. Weight, height, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and 2 hour post-prandial glucose (2hpp) were measured.

Energy intake and GL, but not glycemic index had a negative association with diabetes type 2, intolerance glucose test (IGT) (P<0.05). There was no significant relationship between fasting blood sugar and energy-adjusted glycemic index and glycemic load quintiles. However, 2 hour post-prandial glucose showed a negative relationship with dietary glycemic index and glycemic load quantiles (P<0.001).

We concluded that there were no significant associations between dietary glycemic index and glycemic load with IGT and diabetes type 2. So, further studies are required to determine the effect of dietary factors on diabetes.