GI News—July 2010

• 7 steps to better blood glucose
• Rice: it’s not the colour or size, it’s the GI that counts
• Why you should check your vitamin B12
• The scoop on chromium
• Does sugar cause diabetes?
• Starchy vegetables – 10 things you need to know
• Prof Jennie Brand-Miller on carbs and blood glucose

In Food for Thought in this issue, we outline 7 steps to better blood glucose. You have probably never given your blood glucose a second thought unless you have diabetes. But out-of-control blood glucose is emerging as a major health crisis around the world. Our love affair with soft white bread, French fries, crispy breakfast flakes, sugary baked goods (all high GI foods) has led to an outbreak of insulin resistance – essentially, what happens when the body’s system for handling blood glucose spikes gets worn out from overwork. In Australia for example, one in four people now has some impairment in glucose tolerance or insulin secretion. (The chances are nearly one in two for the overweight, over 45s.) Left unchecked, the result is metabolic syndrome – a precursor to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Ask your doctor to measure your blood glucose levels next time you visit.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD