Dietary glycemic index and obesity

Obesity is among the most important medical problems in America today. Curr ently, similar to 1 in 4 children and 1 in 2 adults are overweight, prevale nce rates that have increased by 50% since the 1960s. In an attempt to comb at this problem, the Federal government and various official medical agenci es have advocated decreasing intake of total fat acid sugar, while increasi ng consumption of "complex carbohydrate." Despite a recent reduction in fat consumption to near the recommended 30% of total energy, rates of obesity have continued to rise, suggesting that other dietary factors may play a cr itical role in body weight regulation. One such factor may be glycemic inde x. This review examines the physiologic effects of glycemic index and argue s for the need for controlled clinical trials of a low glycemic index diet in the treatment of obesity.