Editor’s Response

Abstract

We appreciate the comments regarding the use of glycemic index (GI) within the context of the Research Behind the News column in the December 2006 issue (1Peregrin T. Practice applications: Research behind the news.J Am Diet Assoc. 2006; 106: 1934Google Scholar), which highlighted the findings of an Australian study on the use of glycemic index in nondiabetic, healthy, pregnant women (2Moses R.G. Luebcke M. Davis W.S. Coleman K.J. Tapsell L.C. Petocz P. Brand-Miller J.C. Effect of a low glycemic-index diet during pregnancy on obstetric outcomes.Am J Clin Nutr. 2006; 84: 807-812Google Scholar, 3Beto J.A. Low-glycemic diet in pregnancy.J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107 ([New in Review]): 153Google Scholar). The goal of the entire Practice Applications section is to help readers find condensed information. Research Behind the News, which first ran in November 2006, is a new section in the Practice Applications with the specific goal of highlighting three or four articles abstracted in the New in Review section within each issue for the readers in the hopes they will continue their interest by reading the abstract and potentially the actual research. Due to its brevity, it is not meant as a single source of professional information.We acknowledge the short comments on GI, as stated, may have been misleading when taken out of context. We appreciate the important points raised.The research in GI and its effect on metabolism in insulin-resistant, diabetic, and nondiabetic individuals is an area of evolving nutritional science that has important implications for practicing dietitians. We encourage the readership to explore the ever-increasing evidence in this regard. We appreciate the comments regarding the use of glycemic index (GI) within the context of the Research Behind the News column in the December 2006 issue (1Peregrin T. Practice applications: Research behind the news.J Am Diet Assoc. 2006; 106: 1934Google Scholar), which highlighted the findings of an Australian study on the use of glycemic index in nondiabetic, healthy, pregnant women (2Moses R.G. Luebcke M. Davis W.S. Coleman K.J. Tapsell L.C. Petocz P. Brand-Miller J.C. Effect of a low glycemic-index diet during pregnancy on obstetric outcomes.Am J Clin Nutr. 2006; 84: 807-812Google Scholar, 3Beto J.A. Low-glycemic diet in pregnancy.J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107 ([New in Review]): 153Google Scholar). The goal of the entire Practice Applications section is to help readers find condensed information. Research Behind the News, which first ran in November 2006, is a new section in the Practice Applications with the specific goal of highlighting three or four articles abstracted in the New in Review section within each issue for the readers in the hopes they will continue their interest by reading the abstract and potentially the actual research. Due to its brevity, it is not meant as a single source of professional information. We acknowledge the short comments on GI, as stated, may have been misleading when taken out of context. We appreciate the important points raised. The research in GI and its effect on metabolism in insulin-resistant, diabetic, and nondiabetic individuals is an area of evolving nutritional science that has important implications for practicing dietitians. We encourage the readership to explore the ever-increasing evidence in this regard. The Glycemic Index of High-Sugar FoodsJournal of the American Dietetic AssociationVol. 107Issue 4PreviewThe author of the Research Behind the News section in the December 2006 issue of the Journal asks the question, “What happens if you get pregnant on South Beach?” (1). In answering the question, the author assumes that high-sugar foods are high-glycemic-index (GI) foods and, by eliminating these foods, women are eating a low-GI diet. However, many high-sugar foods fall into the moderate- and low-GI categories. For example, Coke (The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, GA) (GI=58), a Snickers bar (Mars Incorporated, Hackettstown, NJ) (GI=55), and ice cream (GI=36 to 80) have moderate GI values whereas premium ice cream (GI=37) has a low GI value (2). Full-Text PDF