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A LONG time ago, a brilliant physician He must have recognised the nutritional Sadly, the bread of Hippocrates\u2019 time To add insult to injury, modern breads are Two new studies Indeed, the widespread consumption of The Glycemic index is a way to classify Blood sugar A STEADY intake of high GI foods leads to The subjects\u2019 ages ranged from 40 to 69 More than 360 cases of Type II diabetes Specifically, the researchers singled out White foods PEOPLE who eat the most white bread \u2014 half Other foods that appear to increase The researchers wrote that diabetes risk Genuine whole grain SIMPLE, you\u2019re probably saying, "I\u2019ll There is a problem here. Many of the whole According to a recent study in the A research team led by the Harvard School The subjects measured and reported body The Harvard team found that subjects who This association held true even when added So while it was not a surprise to learn Other benefits IN other words, the value of whole grain Whole grain breads also contain enough On the other hand, high GI actually make The solution is to become aware of the GI I call the low-GI foods slow carbs. They Despite the low GI, whole grains can White rice SO you might say that white bread is Many of us take these foods more than 17 On The Net: Glycemic Index and Dietary The Source : National Consumers Complaints Center;
\nrecommended bread to aid the digestive tract. He was Hippocrates \u2014 the father
\nof medicine.
\nvalue of stone-ground flour that was made into unleavened bread. That was the
\nkind of bread used in biblical times.
\nbears no resemblance to today\u2019s commercial white bread, first developed just
\n100 years ago. Today\u2019s bread is refined and stripped of all the goodness it
\nshould have. It has become smooth and soft, unlike the coarse and tough breads
\nof ancient times.
\nsweetened, coloured and flavoured. In short, modern breads are empty calories.
\nwhite bread has not been good for humanity. In fact, two new studies show that
\na choice of white bread could make you fat and even diabetic. The research at
\nthe Cancer Council in Victoria, Australia, did not start out to study bread.
\nThe original scope was to examine associations between Type II diabetes risk
\nand the intake of different kinds of food. The foods were evaluated using the
\nGlycemic Index (GI).
\nhow foods affect blood sugar. Foods classified as low GI (most fruits and
\nvegetables \u2014 stuff made by Mother Nature) prompt a slow increase in blood sugar
\nlevels, while high GI foods (processed baked goods and starchy foods \u2014 stuff
\nmade by man) produce a quick spike in blood sugar levels.
\nhigh blood sugar. This causes a gradual insensitivity to insulin. That leads to
\nType II diabetes \u2014 sometimes called adult onset diabetes. The Australians
\nstudied the medical records and eating habits of more than 36,700 men and women
\nover four years.
\nwhen the study began. None had been diagnosed with diabetes.
\nwere identified by the end of the study period. The data confirmed that a diet
\nwith a high GI index rating was associated with an elevated risk of diabetes.
\nwhite bread as the one food most strongly related to the development of
\ndiabetes.
\nof whom say they have it at least 17 times a week \u2014 are more than 30 per cent
\nmore likely to develop Type II diabetes.
\ndiabetes risk include starchy foods and foods which, like white bread,
\nencourage a spike in blood sugar, such as crackers, cookies, and cakes. These
\nfoods may increase diabetes risk by causing weight gain, which increases the
\nrisk of Type II diabetes.
\nmight be reduced by cutting white bread products from the diet, and replacing
\nthem with breads that have lower GI ratings.
\njust switch to brown or wholemeal bread."
\ngrain breads on the shelves consist of mostly white bread with a little
\ncolouring added to give them a whole grain look.
\nAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it is well worth your time to read
\nnutrition panels carefully to make sure the bread you buy is genuinely whole
\ngrain.
\nof Public Health used periodic questionnaires in a long-term study to follow
\nthe dietary habits of more than 27,000 men for eight years.
\nweight at the beginning and end of the study. Unlike the Australian study, this
\nresearch specifically examined the intake of whole grain, bran and cereal
\nfibre.
\nconsumed the most whole grains tended to have the lowest weight gain.
\nbran or fibre intakes fluctuated.
\nthat whole grains were a healthier choice than highly processed flour products,
\nthe researchers concluded that "additional components in whole grains may
\ncontribute to favourable metabolic alterations that may reduce long-term weight
\ngain".
\nfood may go well beyond the positive benefits of just good fibre intake.
\nHippocrates must be smiling in his grave.
\nfibre to inhibit blood sugar spikes. That is why whole grains tend to rate low
\non the Glycemic Index. Whole grains don\u2019t trigger carbohydrate cravings. Thus,
\nyou actually eat less and feel better.
\nyou hungrier than foods with a low GI. You end up eating more. If the foods you
\nare eating more of are high GI, you get caught in a vicious cycle that can only
\nlead to weight gain and related complications.
\nvalue of the foods you eat. A website operated by the University of Sydney now
\nmakes that very easy to do. The site (glycemicindex.com) provides a database
\nwhere you can search for the Glycemic Index of different types of food. The
\nslight drawback for those of us is that the database is sometimes specific
\nabout brand names, which are mostly Australian and European. Nevertheless, it
\noffers an excellent guide for low-GI dietary choices.
\nraise blood sugar slowly. They are an ideal follow-up or addition to any low
\ncarb weight loss diet. Sadly, nearly all the foods that we take are fast carbs
\n\u2014 they cause your blood sugar to spike.
\npresent other problems. Some people have allergies. It can lead difficulties in
\ndigestion. The scientific documentation in this area continues to grow.
\n"pure, white and deadly". What about white rice? What about the white
\nflour in our noodles, ketupat<\/i>, pau<\/i>, kueh teow<\/i>, loh shee
\nfan<\/i> and roti csnai<\/i>? Even healthful-looking capati <\/i>often
\ncontains refined wheat flour.
\ntimes a week. The Australian study pointed that those taking white bread 17
\ntimes or more a week had a 30 risk of increased diabetes. Logically, these
\nfoods can bust our waistlines and spike diabetes, too.
\nFiber and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes" Diabetes Care, Vol 27, No 11,
\n11\/27\/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ajcn.org<\/i>
\nwriter is a pharmacist with a doctorate in Holistic Medicine. He is a director
\nof the Malaysian Herbal Corporation and a CEO of a group of companies in alternative
\nhealthcare.<\/span><\/i>
\nNew Straits Times – 23 July 2006<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n