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Cited by 325Food composition and propertiesDiet, Metabolism, and DiseaseRegulation of Appetite and Obesity

Effects of dietary glycaemic index on adiposity, glucose homoeostasis, and plasma lipids in animals

Pawlak, Dorota B, Kushner, Jake A, Ludwig, David S·2004·The Lancet
DOI 10.1016/s0140-6736(04)16937-7
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Abstract

Background Clinical studies suggest a role for dietary glycaemic index (GI) in bodyweight regulation and diabetes risk. However, partly because manipulation of GI can produce changes in potentially confounding dietary factors such as fibre content, palatability, and energy density, its relevance to human health remains controversial. This study examined the independent effects of GI in animals.Methods Partially pancreatectomised male Sprague-Dawley rats were given diets with identical nutrients, except for the type of starch: high-GI (n=11) or low-GI (n=10). The animals were fed in a controlled way to maintain the same mean bodyweight in the two groups for 18 weeks. Further experiments examined the effects of GI in rats in a cross-over design and C57BL/6J mice in a parallel design.Findings Despite having similar mean bodyweight (547.9 [SE 13.4] vs 549.2 [15.2] g), rats given high-GI food had more body fat (97.8 [13.6] vs 57.3 [7.2] g; p=0.0152) and less lean body mass (450.1 [9.6] vs 491.9 [11.7] g; p=0.0120) than those given low-GI food. The high-GI group also had greater increases over time in the areas under the curve for blood glucose and plasma insulin after oral glucose, lower plasma adiponectin concentrations, higher plasma triglyceride concentrations, and severe disruption of islet-cell architecture. Mice on the high-GI diet had almost twice the body fat of those on the low-GI diet after 9 weeks.Interpretation These findings provide a mechanistic basis for interpretation of studies of GI in human beings.Relevance to practice The term GI describes how a food, meal, or diet affects blood sugar during the postprandial period. GI as an independent factor can cause obesity and increase risks of diabetes and heart disease in animals. Use of low-GI diets in prevention and treatment of human disease merits thorough examination.

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  • In animals, high- compared with low-GI diets increase adiposity independently of energy intake, in association with lower physical activity level.

    “In animals, high- compared with low-GI diets increase adiposity independently of energy intake, in association with lower physical activity level (45, 93–96).”

    From The carbohydrate-insulin model: A physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as [96]

  • Individuals with high insulin secretion or other abnormalities of glucose homeostasis appear especially susceptible to adverse metabolic responses and weight gain when consuming a high-GL diet.

    “Furthermore, studies suggest a unique diet–phenotype interaction, in that individuals with high insulin secretion or other abnormalities of glucose homeostasis appear especially susceptible to adverse metabolic responses and weight gain when consuming a high-GL diet (96, 105–110).”

    From The carbohydrate-insulin model: A physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as [96]

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Authors
Pawlak, D. B., Kushner, J. A., & Ludwig, D. S.
Affiliations
  • Boston Children's Hospital (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Ludwig, David S
ORCID
Venue
The Lancet
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2004-08
Volume
364
Issue
9436
Pages
778-785
ISSN
  • 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
  • 0140-6736
DOI
10.1016/s0140-6736(04)16937-7
OpenAlex
W2074137713
Cited by
325
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 16
FWCI
24.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • The Lancet (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (2t32hd007277-06, 5r01dk059240-04)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1R01DK059240)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32HD07277)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Food composition and properties
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
Keywords
adiposity, fat mass, lean body mass, glucose homeostasis, insulin response, adiponectin, plasma triglycerides, partial pancreatectomy, obesity, diabetes risk, heart disease risk, low glycemic index diet
MeSH terms
Adipose Tissue, Animals, Blood Glucose, Body Composition, Body Weight, Dietary Carbohydrates, Glucose Tolerance Test, Homeostasis, Insulin, Islets of Langerhans, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Obesity, Pancreatectomy, Proteins, Triglycerides, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Postprandial Period, Leptin, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Glycemic Index, Mice, Rats, Adiponectin

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