Low-glycemic index diet in hyperlipidemia: use of traditional starchy foods.

To define those patients most likely to benefit from the hypolipidemic effect of low-glycemic-index (GI) traditional starchy foods, 30 hyperlipidemic patients were studied for 3 mo. During the middle month, low-GI foods were substituted for those with a higher GI with minimal change in dietary macronutrient and fiber content. Only in the group (24 patients) with raised triglyceride levels (types IIb, III, and IV) were significant lipid reductions seen: total cholesterol 8.8 +/- 1.5% (p less than 0.001), LDL cholesterol 9.1 +/- 2.4% (p less than 0.001), and serum triglyceride 19.3 +/- 3.2% (p less than 0.001) with no change in HDL cholesterol. The percentage reduction in serum triglyceride related to the initial triglyceride levels (r = 0.56, p less than 0.01). The small weight loss (0.4 kg) on the low-GI diet did not relate to the lipid changes. Low-GI diets may be of use in the management of lipid abnormalities associated with hypertriglyceridemia.