Glycemic Index Linked to CVD and Death Globally

A global study concluded that a diet with a high glycemic index was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death. The study included 137,851 participants between the ages of 35 and 70 years living on five continents, with a median follow-up of 9.5 years. Country-specific food-frequency questionnaires were used to determine dietary intake and estimated the glycemic index and glycemic load based on the consumption of seven categories of carbohydrate foods. There were 8780 deaths and 8252 major CVD events occurred during the follow-up period. After performing extensive adjustments comparing the lowest and highest glycemic-index quintiles, a diet with a high glycemic index was associated with an increased risk of a major CVD event or death, both among participants with preexisting CVD (hazard ratio, 1.51) and among those without CVD (hazard ratio, 1.21). A high glycemic index was also associated with an increased risk of death from CVD causes. The results with respect to glycemic load were like the findings regarding the glycemic index among the participants with CVD at baseline, but the association was not significant among those without preexisting CVD. These findings are consistent with previous studies and have implications for both primary and secondary prevention strategies across a geographically diverse population with a very broad range of dietary patterns. Foods with high glycemic index were consumed most in China, followed by Africa and Southeast Asia. Source: https://www.nejm.org/