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 .
Beneficial effects of a 5-week low-glycaemic index regimen on weight control and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight non-diabetic subjects.
The glycaemic index ( GI ) has been developed in order to classify food according to the postpr and ial glycaemic response . This parameter is of interest , especially for people prone to glucose intolerance ; however , the effects of a low-GI ( LGI ) diet on body weight , carbohydrate and lipid metabolism remain controversial . We studied the effects of either a LGI or high-GI ( HGI ) diet on weight control and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight , non-diabetic subjects . The study was a r and omized 5-week intervention trial . The thirty-eight subjects ( BMI 27.3 ( sem 0.2 ) kg/m2 ) followed an intervention diet in which usual starch was replaced ad libitum with either LGI or HGI starch .  Mean body weight decrease was significant in the LGI group ( - 1.1 ( sEM 0.3 ) kg , P = 0.004 ) and was significantly greater than in the HGI group ( - 0.3 ( sEM 0.2 ) kg , P = 0.04 between groups ) . Hunger sensation scales showed a trend towards a decrease in hunger sensation before lunch and dinner in the LGI group when compared with the HGI group ( P = 0.09 ) . No significant increase in insulin sensitivity was noticed . The LGI diet also decreased total cholesterol by 9.6 % ( P < 0.001 ) , LDL-cholesterol by 8.6 % ( P = 0.01 ) and both LDL-:HDL-cholesterol ratio ( 10.1 % , P = 0.003 ) and total : HDL-cholesterol ratio ( 8.5 % , P = 0.001 ) while no significant changes were observed in the HGI group . Lowering the GI of daily meals with simple dietary recommendations results in increased weight loss and improved lipid profile and is relatively easy to implement with few constraints . These potential benefits of consuming a LGI diet can be useful to develop practical dietetic advice
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 .