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A diet that focuses
on changing how and what a child
eats rather than just counting calories
and fat grams may help obese children
and adolescents lose weight and
lower their risk of developing type
2 diabetes.
New research shows a reduced-glycemic-load
diet that emphasizes foods with
a low to moderate glycemic index
and allows children to eat until
they're full was more effective
than a traditional low-fat, calorie-restricted
diet in helping obese children shed
pounds and slow the progression
of insulin resistance, a risk factor
for diabetes.
Foods with a high glycemic index
include simple carbohydrates, such
as white bread, white rice, sweet
cereals, and sugary foods. Researchers
say these foods cause blood sugar
levels to surge after eating, which
places additional stress on the
cells in the pancreas that produce
the insulin needed to process sugar
in the body.
Complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain
bread and cereals, brown rice and
vegetables, are foods with a low
to moderate glycemic index.
By preventing this surge in blood
sugar associated with eating foods
with a high glycemic index, previous
research suggests that people can
curb their carbohydrate cravings
and reduce their risk of diabetes.
Researchers say it's the first time
the benefits of targeting the composition
of a child's diet rather than just
the total calorie intake have been
shown in a major scientific study
“It is the first well-controlled
study to show that we need to look
at the composition [of the diet].
It's not a calorie is a calorie
is a calorie. It's echoing what
we're seeing in the adult literature."
After one year, adolescents who
followed the reduced-glycemic-load
diet lost an average of 11 pounds
more than those on the conventional
low-fat diet and lowered their body
mass index by an average of two
units.
By comparison, the group that followed
the traditional low-fat diet generally
remained the same and didn't lose
or gain any significant amount of
weight.
In addition, researchers found that
those adolescents on the reduced-glycemic-load
diet had improvements in insulin
resistance -- an indicator of how
well the body is handling blood
sugar -- that were above and beyond
those attributable to weight loss
alone.
Adolescents in this study actually
preferred the low-glycemic-index
diet to the more traditional diet.
- by taking the pressure off counting
calories and putting the emphasis
on eating until they become full
may make it easier for young people
to stick to a diet as well as develop
healthy eating habits.
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