Glycemic Load Influences Cholesterol

MILWAUKEE--High glycemic load is negatively correlated to serum levels of beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, according to a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (81, 2: 376-379, 2005) (www.ajcn.org).

Scientists assessed the relationship between blood levels of lipids and diet in a test population of 32 healthy males and females aged 11 to 25 years. Subjects' serum lipid values and body mass index scores were varied. Dietary intake was appraised through three-day food diaries. A negative correlation between glycemic load (in relation to factors including refined flours, total dietary sugar, percentage of dietary carbohydrate, total dietary sugar and fructose intake) and HDL cholesterol was observed. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed glycemic load accounted for 21.1 percent of the variation in HDL cholesterol.

The researchers concluded glycemic load appears to be an important independent predictor of HDL cholesterol in youth and noted dietary restrictions without attention to glycemic load could unfavorably influence blood lipids.