Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality

Jenkins DJA 1 , Dehghan M 1 , Mente A 1 , Bangdiwala SI 1 , Rangarajan S 1 , Srichaikul K 1 Show all authors , Mohan V 1 , Avezum A 1 , Díaz R 1 , Rosengren A 1 , Lanas F 1 , Lopez-Jaramillo P 1 , Li W 1 , Oguz A 1 , Khatib R 1 , Poirier P 1 , Mohammadifard N 1 , Pepe A 1 , Alhabib KF 1 , Chifamba J 1 , Yusufali AH 1 , Iqbal R 1 , Yeates K 1 , Yusoff K 1 , Ismail N 1 , Teo K 1 , Swaminathan S 1 , Liu X 1 , Zatońska K 1 , Yusuf R 1 , Yusuf S 1 , PURE Study Investigators

Affiliations 

  • 1 From the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (D.J.A.J.), and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital Toronto (D.J.A.J., K.S.), Toronto, the Population Health Research Institute (M.D., S.I.B., K.T., S.Y.) and Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (A.M., S.I.B.), McMaster University, and McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences (S.R.), Hamilton, ON, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec, QC (P.P.), the Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa (A.P.), and the Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON (K. Yeates) - all in Canada; the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai (V.M.), and St. John's Research Institute, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore (S.S.) - both in India; the International Research Center, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo (A.A.); Estudios Clínicos Latino América, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina (R.D.); the Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (A.R.); Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile (F.L.); the Masira Research Institute, Medical School, Universidad de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia (P.L.-J.); the Medical Research and Biometrics Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (W.L., X.L.); the Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey (A.O.); the Institute for Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine (R.K.); Advocate Research Institute, Advocate Health Care, Downers Grove, IL (R.K.); Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran (N.M.); the Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Fahad Cardiac Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (K.F.A.); the Department of Physiology, University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, Harare (J.C.); Hatta Hospital, Dubai Medical College, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (A.H.Y.); the Department of Community Health Sciences and Medicine, Aga Khan University, Pakistan (R.I.); Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, and UCSI University, Selangor (K. Yusoff), and the Department of Community Health, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur (N.I.) - both in Malaysia; the Department of Social Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland (K.Z.); and the School of Life Sciences, Independent University, Dhaka, Bangladesh (R.Y.)
N Engl J Med, 2021 04 08;384(14):1312-1322.
PMID: 33626252 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2007123

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Most data regarding the association between the glycemic index and cardiovascular disease come from high-income Western populations, with little information from non-Western countries with low or middle incomes. To fill this gap, data are needed from a large, geographically diverse population.

METHODS: This analysis includes 137,851 participants between the ages of 35 and 70 years living on five continents, with a median follow-up of 9.5 years. We used country-specific food-frequency questionnaires to determine dietary intake and estimated the glycemic index and glycemic load on the basis of the consumption of seven categories of carbohydrate foods. We calculated hazard ratios using multivariable Cox frailty models. The primary outcome was a composite of a major cardiovascular event (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure) or death from any cause.

RESULTS: In the study population, 8780 deaths and 8252 major cardiovascular events occurred during the follow-up period. After performing extensive adjustments comparing the lowest and highest glycemic-index quintiles, we found that a diet with a high glycemic index was associated with an increased risk of a major cardiovascular event or death, both among participants with preexisting cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25 to 1.82) and among those without such disease (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.34). Among the components of the primary outcome, a high glycemic index was also associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes. The results with respect to glycemic load were similar to the findings regarding the glycemic index among the participants with cardiovascular disease at baseline, but the association was not significant among those without preexisting cardiovascular disease.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a diet with a high glycemic index was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. (Funded by the Population Health Research Institute and others.).

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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