Relation between a diet with high glycemic load and plasma concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in middle-aged women.

High glycemic load is associated with elevated plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and high ischemic heart disease risk.

This study evaluated the relationship between dietary glycemic load and plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Using validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires, researchers examined the dietary intake of rapidly digested and absorbed carbohydrates in 244 healthy middle-aged women. Thebody mass index (BMI) and serum concentrations of hs-CRP (a biomarker of ischemic heart disease) were measured in all the subjects.

Reasearchers observed that subjects with high glycemic load had high hs-CRP concentrations in their blood. Lower plasma hs-CRP levels were observed in women with BMI values of less than 25 than in women whose BMI values were greater than 25 in this study. The results of this study support the hypothesis that high consumption of rapidly digested and absorbed carbohydrates may elevate ischemic heart disease risk.

We must keep in mind that major contributors to the dietary glycemic load were white bread (5.2%), muffins (5.0%), and white rice (4.6%). We are also not finding detailed information here on the fat content of the participants diets and whether there was also a correlation between the refined carbohydrates and fat in the diets.