There is a new journal article that was just published by the Journal of the American Medical Associaton (JAMA), which seems to favor the concept of a low glycemic index diet being effective for the treatment of diabetes.
"Effect of a Low–Glycemic Index or a High–Cereal Fiber Diet on Type 2 Diabetes", JAMA. 2008;300(23):2742-2753.
Here is the link to the article online:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/conten...00/23/2742 I haven't had a chance to read the entire article, just skimmed it. Here is an excerpt from one of the emails that I received about this article:
Patients with stable type 2 diabetes can improve their glycemic control and HDL level with a low-glycemic-index diet, according to a study published in JAMA.
Roughly 200 patients taking antihyperglycemic drugs underwent randomization to either a low-glycemic-index diet or a high-cereal-fiber diet for 6 months. (The low-glycemic-index diet emphasized foods like pumpernickel bread, bulgur-and-flax breakfast cereal, and peas, lentils, and nuts; the high-cereal-fiber diet emphasized whole-grain breads and breakfast cereals, brown rice, and avoidance of starchy foods.)
By the 6-month mark, hemoglobin A1c levels decreased and HDL levels rose, both significantly, in patients on the low-glycemic-index diet.
The authors say the low-glycemic-index diet may add further glycemic control in patients on antihyperglycemic drugs.