Carbohydrates May Increase Women's Heart Risk

Italy is known for its high-carbohydrate food, but new research from Italy has found that the type and quantity of carbohydrates may affect heart health. Specifically, women who eat a diet rich in foods that score highly on the Glycemic Index may double their risk of developing coronary heart disease.¹

The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrates by how easily and quickly they are processed by the body. Carbohydrates that have a high Glycemic Index are easily processed by the body, and result in a spike in blood-glucose and insulin levels. This is believed to have a myriad of negative effects on the body, not the least of which are insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain. Foods with a low Glycemic Index, are processed by the body at a slower rate and do not cause the spike in blood glucose or insulin. The "glycemic load" is a measure of the quality (Glycemic Index) and quantity (portion size) of carbohydrates eaten in a year.

The study involved 47,749 Italian men and women (15,171 men and 32,578 women) who were followed for an average of 7.9 years. The participants' intake of various foods was assessed using routine dietary questionnaires. At the end of the nearly 8-year period, 463 participants (158 women and 305 men) had developed coronary heart disease. While neither the type nor quantity of carbohydrate consumption had an impact on the men's rate of illness, there was an impact on the women in the study.

Women in the highest carbohydrate intake quartile had twice the risk of coronary heart disease than women in the lowest quartile. High glycemic index carbohydrates also increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 68%. And when analyzing for glycemic load, women in the highest quartile of glycemic load, had 124% greater risk of coronary heart disease compared to women in the lowest quartile. The researchers concluded that "high dietary glycemic load and carbohydrate intake from high Glycemic Index foods increase the overall risk of coronary heart disease in women but not men."

It is not known why carbohydrates have this effect on women but not men. However, the researchers speculate that the carbohydrates depress HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol") levels in women more than they do in men.

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Learn more about our Starch Blockers here.

1. Sieri, S., V. Krogh, et al. (2010). "Dietary glycemic load and index and risk of coronary heart disease in a large Italian cohort: the EPICOR study." Arch Intern Med 170(7): 640-7.