Carbs Double Heart Disease Risk in Women

Women be warned: A high-carb diet may double your risk of heart disease.
New research illuminates the health risk that foods with a high glycaemic index pose to the body — particularly in women. Carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index raise blood sugar levels at a faster rate than foods with a low index. Foods that are high on the glycaemic index tend to be white and starchy, like potatoes, white bread and doughnuts.
A study out of Italy finds women who ate the highest glycaemic load in their diet had 2.24 times the risk of heart disease compared to women with the lowest glycaemic load. Carbohydrate intake, glycaemic index and glycaemic load did not influence heart disease risk in men.
Researchers say while further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between glycaemic load and heart disease in women, sex-related differences in lipoprotein and glucose metabolism may play a role.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, April 12, 2010