Low Glycemic Load Diet Lowers Diabetes Risk

A low glycemic load (GL) diet that follows the principles of the traditional Mediterranean diet can lower type 2 diabetes risk, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research (Milan, Italy) analyzed data from the Greek cohort of the population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. All participants completed an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire at enrolment. From this information, the researchers calculated a ten point score, reflecting adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet, as well as the dietary GL. The researchers estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for diabetes using regression models adjusted for potential confounders.

The results showed over 11 years of follow-up, 2,330 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified among 22,295 study participants. The researchers found that a higher Mediterranean diet score was inversely associated with diabetes risk and that GL was positively associated with diabetes for the highest versus the lowest GL quartile. A significant protection of about 20% was found for a diet with a high Mediterranean diet score and a low GL. The study was published in the August 2013 issue of the journal Diabetologia.

“The influence of the Mediterranean diet against diabetes risk was independent of glycemic load levels, and individuals with a high Mediterranean diet score and a low glycemic load tended to have the lowest diabetes risk,” concluded lead author Carlo La Vecchia, MD, of, and colleagues. “It is not difficult to envisage a low glycemic load Mediterranean diet, since olive oil and vegetables dominate this diet and do not contribute, or contribute only marginally, to glycemic load.”

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Greece, southern Italy, and Spain. The principal aspects of this diet include proportionally high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and low consumption of meat and meat products.

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Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research