The FastDay Forum

I came across this paper investigating the effect of a high vs low GL (glycaemic load) diet on IGF-1 levels.

The researchers used a crossover design (i.e., the same subjects experienced both diets) in 84 overweight-obese and normal weight healthy individuals using two 28-day weight-maintaining high- and low-GL diets (both were 15% energy from protein, 30% energy from fat and 55% energy from carbohydrate, but differed in GL, one being ≥ 250 and the other ≤ 125). They measured both fasting and post-prandial concentrations of insulin, glucose, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3.

Low-GL diet resulted in a 43% lower glucose and 27% lower insulin response after a meal, and while fasting serum glucose concentrations were similar between diet treatments in the lean group, this was not the case in the overweight/obese group: mean fasting glucose was 0.12 mmol/L higher following the low- compared to the high-GL diet. The low-GL diet led to 4% lower fasting concentrations of IGF-1 (10.6 ng/mL, p = 0.04) and a 4% lower ratio of IGF-1/IGFBP-3 (0.24, p = 0.01) compared to the high-GL diet.

This study, therefore, suggests that lowering refined carbs can not only improve glucose metabolism but also have some effect on IGF-1 so helping to reduce cancer risks.

Really interesting article - thank you Caroline. I think you're right - it's the way to go. I still find it slightly confusing trying to work out what carbs are ok ones though - is rye bread ok, for example? I've read conflicting things. Perhaps I should stop reading and just stop eating white things.

Thanks for posting this Caroline. More food for thought. Start slowly loversghost. I have been sugar free and low GI now for 4 weeks and the first few weeks were about cutting refined carbs before moving to the stage where I have now more or less given up all grains but do have a weekend 'treat' of a slice of soughdough toast if I feel like it. The best thing about this is that my cravings have all but disappeared and it makes fast days much easier.

Thanks rawkaren - will take your advice but I have found my cravings for carbs have been much easier to control since starting this - I tried eating in a GL fashion before and really struggled with the desire for refined carbs so wasn't very successful - this WOE has really helped with those cravings.

Thanks for posting this. I'm not diagnosed with diabetes, but think that I have suffered from insulin resistane/metabolic syndrome. Since combining intermittent fasting with a low carbohydrate diet my blood glucose levels have become more stable. If I relax a little the levels shoot up. So I'm probably in this for the long term.

Hi @Bracken

Did you see this that I just posted about low carb diets in diabetes? topic13054.html

Dear Caroline, yes I did. I thought that I had posted my reply on there!