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PROVO — A new study from a BYU professor is giving insights into the quality of popularly consumed carbohydrates in the U.S. with a new glycemic index and database developed with the use of artificial intelligence.
Nutrition and dietetics professor Karen Della Corte developed a national glycemic index and glycemic load database that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A news release from BYU said the data offers insights into the "evolving quality of carbohydrates consumed in the United States, something that hadn't been done previously."
She hopes this database helps increase awareness on the importance of carbohydrate quality in one's diet and how, with other lifestyle factors, it can help prevent diseases and extend an individual's health span.
The glycemic index is a scale that public health researchers can use to categorize carbohydrates by quality. Foods high on the scale, like white flour or sugar cereals, can negatively impact metabolic health and cause a "sugar rush." The glycemic load factors in quantity of carbohydrates consumed, the release says.
"Large-scale studies have shown that both high GI (glycemic index) and GL (glycemic load) diets are associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers," Della Corte said. "In addition, high-GI foods lead to quicker hunger and increased caloric intake and contribute to weight gain."
Dell Corte collaborated with her husband, Dennis Della Corte, who is a professor of physics and astronomy at BYU. They developed an artificial intelligence-enabled model that analyzed foods from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and matched them to correlated glycemic index and load levels.
This was then compiled to create the first national glycemic index database.
"Using open AI for the (creation) of the GI database was a novel application of ours and marks an advancement in nutritional research methodology," said Della Corte. "Looking forward, many new and important questions can now be investigated using this database relating to the role GI and GL play for chronic disease risk in the U.S."
Della Corte was able to analyze the carbohydrate intake from nearly 10,000 foods using the dietary database, a process that would have taken months without AI.
The study published also dives into trends of carbohydrate quality intake over the last two decades and found the top glycemic load-contributing foods in American diets include soft drinks, white bread, rice and fruit juice.
"One key takeaway from this study is the importance of prioritizing low-glycemic carbohydrates in the diet. This means focusing on whole, minimally processed foods that release glucose slowly into the bloodstream and prevent spikes in blood sugar levels," Della Corte said. "Making swaps from refined grains to whole grains can help improve the healthfulness of the diet and lower the overall dietary (glycemic index)."
She suggests making your pantry a glycemic index "friendly zone" by adding items such as whole grains, beans, lentils, chickpeas, brown or wild rice, quinoa, barley, steel-cut or rolled oats, non-starchy vegetables, fruits and nuts to your weekly meals.
Knowing which foods are low on the glycemic index helps people make more informed food choices, she said. Her study found as people age, they tend to make healthier carbohydrates and those with higher educations and incomes are more likely to eat foods lower on the index.
The study also found Black adults tend to have higher glycemic indexes and loads, and women often have higher levels than men.
"We hope that future studies derived from this database will add to the body of evidence needed to advocate for the incorporation of (glycemic index) into public health guidelines and dietary recommendations," she said.
