It’s exciting to see that people are finally admitting that obesity plays a central role in diabetes. (A fact that has been crystal clear for decades… yet no one has wanted to do anything about it.)
But can you just imagine how many lives could have been saved? How many heart attacks, strokes, and years of lost earnings could have been avoided if the powers–that–be had only taken diabesity seriously 30 years ago?!
Well, now you don’t really have to imagine. Because the latest results from the global PURE study do a fine job of painting the picture for us…
High sugar, high risk
These new results show that people who stuck to a low glycemic index diet were less likely to die prematurely and suffer major heart events than people who ate foods that spiked blood sugar levels.
In fact, people with the highest glycemic diets had a 25 percent higher rate of both death and cardiovascular events over a ten-year follow-up, compared to people with the lowest glycemic diets.
That’s bad enough that I could stop right there. But let’s take a deeper dive into these numbers…
The connection between glycemic load and heart events was strongest among subjects who already had heart disease. In this group, people who ate the most sugar had higher rates of death and cardiovascular events, by more than 50 percent.
Another interesting part of this study looked at the role of body mass index (BMI) on glycemic loads.
When people with lower BMIs ate high glycemic loads, they suffered slightly more cardiovascular events. But when overweight and obese people did the same, their risk rose steadily alongside the glycemic index of their diet—increasing their risk of cardiovascular events and death by 38 percent.
The choice is yours
I have to say, the only surprising thing about this study is the commentary from the lead author (and I quote): “What we’re saying is that all carbohydrates are not the same. Some seem to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, and others seem protective. This is not new, but worth restating in an era of low-carb and no-carb diets.”
If it isn’t new—and it clearly isn’t—then why on Earth are we still somehow debating it?
The bottom line is that poor quality carbs are worse for you than most fats in our diet—a fact that even this study’s authors concede. (Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either!)
And this is key, because as I mentioned earlier this week, there’s no way we make it out of this diabesity crisis without a fundamental shift in our thinking where diet is concerned.
But allow me to offer you a quick refresher…
Low glycemic index foods are generally fresh and unprocessed—animal proteins, veggies, and some (but not many) unrefined whole grains and fruit. High glycemic index foods, on the other hand, include processed and refined carbs—basically anything that quickly converts to sugar in your body (and which is found in the center aisles of most grocery stores).
In plain terms, your body doesn’t know the difference between sliced bread and a glass of OJ—or even broccoli or halibut. The glycemic load is what matters. So you can have that doughnut and risk suffering a cardiovascular event… or not. The choice, as always, is yours.
P.S. To learn more about my all-natural plan to prevent and fight against America’s biggest killers—high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke—check out my Ultimate Heart Protection Protocol. To learn more, or to enroll today, click here now!
Source:
“Big Data ‘Clinch’ Link Between High Glycemic Index Diets and CVD.” Medscape Medical News, 02/24/21. (medscape.com/viewarticle/946406)