Dietary carbohydrates: role of quality and quantity in chronic disease.

David S Ludwig, Frank B Hu, Luc Tappy, Jennie Brand-Miller

Journal: BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 2019;361():k2340

PMID: 29898880

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Plain Language Summary

Human populations have thrived on diets with widely varying carbohydrate content. Dietary carbohydrates comprise compounds that can be digested or metabolically transformed directly into glucose, or that undergo oxidation into pyruvate, including some sugar alcohols. This study is a review that examines the links between different types of carbohydrates and health, with special focus on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and early death. Evidence suggests that the type of carbohydrates may have a greater effect on health outcomes than total amount for the general population. A strong case can be made for consumption of high glycaemic load grains, potato products, and added sugars namely sugary drinks, being causally related to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Whereas non-starchy vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, and whole kernel grains appear to protective. Authors conclude that the recent influx of rapidly digestible, high glycaemic index carbohydrates in developed nations has contributed to the epidemics of obesity and cardiometabolic disease.

Abstract

examine the links between different types of carbohydrates and health

Address: New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA [email protected].; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA.; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.; Department of Physiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.; Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k2340