Abstract
This study aimed to determine the major food groups contributing to dietary glycaemic load (GL). Plausible food intake data collected using a multiple-pass 24 hour recall from a weighted sample of 6326 adult respondents (52% male) of the 2011–2012 Australian Health Survey dataset (AHS) were analysed. The GI of foods was estimated based on a previously published step-wise method. Descriptive statistics were calculated for dietary glycaemic index (GI), GL and contribution to GL by major food groups, stratified by age and sex. Trends across age groups were assessed using linear regression. Pearson’s χ2 was used to test for differences between age groups for categorical demographics variables. The mean (SD) dietary GI and GL was 54 (7) and 135 (59) respectively and the top 3 contributors to dietary GL were breads (14.4%), cereal-based dishes (10.3%) and breakfast cereals (ready to eat) (6.6%). There were small but significant differences in the GL contribution pattern between the sexes. The findings indicate that the average dietary GI of Australian adults is similar to that of other population groups, with a large proportion of starchy and energy-dense nutrient-poor foods that contribute to a high GL.
Highlights
This study aimed to determine the major food groups contributing to dietary glycaemic load (GL)
Using data from the recently released Australian Health Survey (AHS)[14], we aimed to describe the current dietary glycaemic index (GI) and GL, and explore the main food sources contributing to the dietary GL of a nationally representative sample of Australian adults according to age and sex
The mean GI and GL of participants was 54 (SD 7) and 135 (SD 59), respectively. Both GI and GL decreased with advancing age
Summary
This study aimed to determine the major food groups contributing to dietary glycaemic load (GL). Barclay et al.[10] reported that the average dietary GI and GL among a group of 2,736 older Australian adults aged 49 years or above was 57 (SD 4) and 134 (SD 24) respectively, while O’Sullivan et al.[11] reported a similar average dietary GI of 56 (SD 4) but a lower average dietary GL of 115 (SD 25) in a group of 459 women aged 42–81 years While these studies provide useful insights into the current levels and contributors to dietary GI/GL, the findings are not generalisable to the entire Australian population. As GL is a function of both carbohydrate quality, i.e. GI, and quantity, it is helpful to examine the age and sex variations in GL since younger adults tend to have higher overall energy and carbohydrate intake than their older counterparts, and the same is true for men vs. women of the same age
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