Effect of a Low Glycemic Index on Metabolic Syndrome
Condition: Metabolic Syndrome X
MeSH terms: Microvascular Angina; Metabolic Syndrome; Syndrome
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of multiple risk factors of metabolic origin
      associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and
      other diseases, including some cancers. There has been an increased interest of researchers
      in the relationship between MetS and diet and, specifically, Mediterranean diet would be
      beneficial for people with high risk of developing MetS or individuals with established MetS.
    

Detailed description: 
      Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of multiple risk factors of metabolic origin,
      associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and
      other diseases, including some cancers. The National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult
      Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) defines MetS the presence of at least three of five
      diagnostic criteria consisting in the measure of waist circumference, fasting glucose,
      systolic pressure and/or diastolic blood pressure, serum triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.
      The level of physical activity, smoking habits, low social class membership as well as low
      level of education and even a mild degree of chronic inflammation have been associated with
      an increased risk of MetS. Recently, there has been an increased interest of researchers in
      the relationship between MetS and diet, and more specifically Mediterranean Diet (MD). A
      problem of the contemporary MD is the quality of carbohydrates as the foods rich in
      carbohydrates consumed actually, such as white bread and some type of pasta, are produced
      with refined flour, at high glycemic index (GI) and load (GL). There are numerous studies
      showing that taking large amounts of high GI and GL foods is a risk factor for coronary heart
      disease and type 2 diabetes. To our knowledge there is no diet trial that compared the health
      effects of Mediterranean diets with different quality of carbohydrates. Objective of this
      study was to compare, in a randomized clinical trial, the effects of a simple MD, a Low
      Glycemic Index diet (LGID), and a Low Glycemic Index MD (LGIMD) on MetS, MetS components and
      other metabolic variables. For this reason, after a baseline examination, participants were
      randomly divided into three groups, each receiving a specific dietary intervention, and all
      the parameters measured at the first visit were examined again at months third and sixth.
    

Intervention name(s): Mediterranean Diet; Low Glycemic Index Diet; Low Glycemic Index Mediterranean Diet
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A list of foods that may be consumed frequently (green foods), sometimes (yellow foods) and never (red foods).; A list of foods that may be consumed frequently (green foods), sometimes (yellow foods) and never (red foods).; A list of foods that may be consumed frequently (green foods), sometimes (yellow foods) and never (red foods).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Metabolic Syndrome X; Low Glycemic Index Mediterranean Diet; Low Glycemic Index Diet; Randomized Clinical Trial