Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Glycemic index in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus: The Malaysian experience

2^nd International Conference and Exhibition on Food Technology, Bioprocess & Cell Culture

October 28-30, 2013 Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza, USA

Fatimah Arshad

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

Malaysia has witnessed a rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the last decade. Asians are known to exhibit insulin resistance at body mass indices (BMI) that are typically below those associated with such occurrences in the Western population. Also, central obesity and metabolic syndrome tendencies commonly seen among Asians are associated with exaggerated glycemic response to carbohydrates, compared to the Caucasian body phenotype. Therefore in Malaysia, there exists a justified interest in optimizing diets for diabetes prevention and management, by manipulating the carbohydrate quality defined by its glycaemic index (GI). A six month dietary trial that compared the utility of GI counseling against counting carbohydrate exchange, found that lowering dietary GI resulted in significant improvements in fasting blood sugar and waist circumference among Malaysian diabetics. Recent observations among Malaysian type 2 diabetics, suggest a significant negative association between dietary GI and plasma adiponectin, a hormone implicated in blood glucose control and inflammation in diabetics. A yearlong preventive trial among high-risk women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus showed that lowering the GI of conventional healthy diets enabled better management of body weight, body composition, fasting blood sugar and triglycerides. These trials suggest the utility of low GI diets in the Malaysian context. Efforts are underway to improve the practicality of implementing recommendations to lower dietary GI.