South Korea: In Korea, dietary glycemic load (GL) and glycemic index (GI) are connected with metabolic syndrome risk in women but not in males, says an article published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
Glycemic index and glycemic load measure the glycemic response to carbohydrate-containing meals. Shinyoung Jun and colleagues undertook this study to estimate dietary GI and GL using revised GI tables with a large number of new, trustworthy GI values and examine their relationships with metabolic syndrome in Korean people.

The data from 3317 males and 6191 women were evaluated in this cross-sectional research. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to measure dietary consumption. Metabolic syndrome and its components were identified using harmonized criteria with Korean-specific waist circumference cutoffs. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 percent confidence intervals were calculated using multivariate logistic regression (CIs).
The results of this study stated as follow:
1. Women in the highest quintiles of energy-adjusted dietary GI and GL had significantly higher risks of metabolic syndrome (GI, OR = 1.56; GL, OR = 1.80,), reduced HDL-C (both GI and GL), elevated blood pressure, elevated triglycerides (GI only), elevated fasting glucose (GL only) and elevated waist circumference.
2. Except for a greater risk of lower HDL-C (OR = 1.59) in the highest amount of energy-adjusted dietary GI than in the lowest amount, no meaningful connection was seen in men.
In conclusion, Dietary GI and GL were linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome in women but not in men. Women in the top quartile had a higher risk of three (GI) and four (GL) of the five metabolic syndrome components than those in the lowest quintile.
Reference:
Jun, S., Lee, S., Lee, J., & Kim, J. (2022). Diets high in glycemic index and glycemic load are associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome among Korean women. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD, S0939-4753(22)00034-5. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2022.01.017
Keywords: diet, glycemic index, glycemic load, carbohydrates, metabolic syndrome, obesity, nutrition, metabolism, cardiovascular disease, GI index