CONCLUSIONS Pasta in the context of low-GI dietary patterns does not adversely affect adiposity and even reduces body weight and BMI compared with higher-GI dietary patterns .
OBJECTIVE Carbohydrate staples such as pasta have been implicated in the obesity epidemic .
It is unclear whether pasta contributes to weight gain or like other low-glycaemic index ( GI ) foods contributes to weight loss .
We synthesis ed the evidence of the effect of pasta on measures of adiposity .
High glycemic index foods, overeating, and obesity.
OBJECTIVE The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in recent years . However , the role of dietary composition in body weight regulation remains unclear . The purpose of this work was to investigate the acute effects of dietary glycemic index ( GI ) on energy metabolism and voluntary food intake in obese subjects . METHODS Twelve obese teenage boys were evaluated on three separate occasions using a crossover study protocol . During each evaluation , subjects consumed identical test meals at breakfast and lunch that had a low , medium , or high GI . The high- and medium-GI meals were design ed to have similar macronutrient composition , fiber content , and palatability , and all meals for each subject had equal energy content . After breakfast , plasma and serum concentrations of metabolic fuels and hormones were measured . Ad libitum food intake was determined in the 5-hour period after lunch . RESULTS Voluntary energy intake after the high-GI meal ( 5.8 megajoule [ mJ ] ) was 53 % greater than after the medium-GI meal ( 3.8 mJ ) , and 81 % greater than after the low-GI meal ( 3.2 mJ ) . In addition , compared with the low-GI meal , the high-GI meal result ed in higher serum insulin levels , lower plasma glucagon levels , lower postabsorptive plasma glucose and serum fatty acids levels , and elevation in plasma epinephrine . The area under the glycemic response curve for each test meal accounted for 53 % of the variance in food intake within subjects . CONCLUSIONS The rapid absorption of glucose after consumption of high-GI meals induces a sequence of hormonal and metabolic changes that promote excessive food intake in obese subjects . Additional studies are needed to examine the relationship between dietary GI and long-term body weight regulation
CONCLUSIONS Pasta in the context of low-GI dietary patterns does not adversely affect adiposity and even reduces body weight and BMI compared with higher-GI dietary patterns .
OBJECTIVE Carbohydrate staples such as pasta have been implicated in the obesity epidemic .
It is unclear whether pasta contributes to weight gain or like other low-glycaemic index ( GI ) foods contributes to weight loss .
We synthesis ed the evidence of the effect of pasta on measures of adiposity .