Dietary Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Nutritional Correlates in Free-Living Elderly Brazilians: A Population-Based Survey

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the association of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with nutrient intake and to describe the foods that contribute to dietary GI and GL in elderly subjects. Methods: This is a cross-sectional population-based survey performed in 2003, which enrolled 804 free-living Brazilian subjects aged 60 years or older. Dietary intake was measured by a single 24-hour dietary recall applied at the subjects’ homes. The usual dietary GI and GL as well as the usual energy and nutrient intakes were estimated using external variance components. Dietary GI and GL were categorized in tertiles and the usual mean of nutrient intake was described accordingly. Linear association between dietary GI and GL and nutrient intake was investigated before and after energy adjustment. Foods that contributed with at least 1% of dietary GI and GL were described. Results: Dietary GI was positively associated with starch, total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and inversely associated with total sugar, protein, fiber, and calcium. Dietary GL was strongly and positively associated with total and available carbohydrates, starch, and total sugar and inversely associated with protein, total fat, MUFA, PUFA, and cholesterol. White breads and white rice were the major contributors to dietary GI and GL in the studied population. Conclusion: Dietary GI and GL are important indicators of overall quality and quantity of carbohydrates from elderly Brazilians diet and are also associated with other macronutrients such as protein, fat, and fiber. The overall dietary GI and GL reflects other dietary aspects, such as composition of the diet and combination of foods consumed.