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. 2023 Feb 13;9(1):30.
doi: 10.1186/s40795-022-00668-8.

The association between glycemic index and glycemic load and quality of life among overweight and obese women: a cross-sectional study

Niloufar Rasaei  1 , Melika Fallah  1 , Fatemeh Gholami  1 , Mehdi Karimi  1 , Sahar Noori  2 , Niki Bahrampour  2 , Cain C T Clark  3 , Khadijeh Mirzaei  4   5
Affiliations

The association between glycemic index and glycemic load and quality of life among overweight and obese women: a cross-sectional study

Niloufar Rasaei et al. BMC Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: The association between different dietary approaches and quality of life (QoL) has been well-demonstrated in previous research. However, the relationship between glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with different dimensions of QoL has not been established. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between GI and GL with QoL in overweight and obese women.

Methods: Two hundred seventy-six overweight and obese women (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2), aged 18-64 years old, were included in this cross-sectional study. The amount of dietary intake and GI and GL indexes were established using a valid and reliable Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) containing 147 items. Body composition (using bioimpedance analysis), anthropometrics, and physical activity were assessed. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and hs-CRP were also measured, whilst QoL was measured using the SF-36 (short-form-36), self-administered, questionnaire.

Result: Analyses were performed using multivariable linear regression, considering a wide range of confounding variables, such as age, physical activity, BMI, education, job, smoking, and marriage. We found a significant negative association between glycemic load and quality of life (β = -0.07, 95%CI = -0.13_ -0.01, p = 0.01). No significant associations were observed between glycemic index and quality of life (β = -0.03, 95%CI = -0.81_ 0.75, p = 0.93).

Conclusion: We observed a significant negative association between QoL and GL, but not GI, among overweight and obese women in Iran. Our results need to be confirmed with further well-designed and adequately powered studies that control for clinical confounders.

Keywords: Diet; Glycemic index; Glycemic load; Obesity; Overweight; Quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no competing financial interests in relation to the current study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The flow chart of study design
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Glycemic Index and glycemic load calculation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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