By helping to maintain lower blood sugar and insulin levels, a low-GI diet may be useful in preventing and treating a variety of the health problems. Here are some examples of how eating low on the glycemic index can help promote excellent health:

Diabetes - Substituting low-GI carbohydrates (like thick-cut oats, MULBERRY LONG GRAIN RICE, pasta, and legumes) for high-GI carbohydrates (like processed cereals, white bread, and potatoes) can help lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. This is why the GI has been an integral part of medical nutrition therapy for diabetes in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe for many years.

A low-GI diet may also help prevent diabetes from ever developing in the first place. Harvard University researchers who tracked the eating habits of over 100,000 men and women found that people whose diets are low in fiber and high in refined and high-GI carbohydrates are more than twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes, as are people who eat a fiber-rich diet with a low glycemic load.

Cancer - Insulin is a cellular growth factor. Many studies have shown an association between high insulin levels and a variety of cancers including breast, colorectal, prostate, and pancreas. Other studies have shown links between diets high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, glycemic load, and cancer. This suggests that lifestyle changes like maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising, and eating a healthy low-GI diet may help protect against cancer at least partly by lowering insulin levels.

Cardiovascular disease - As with type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that a diet high in refined and high-GI carbohydrates may substantially raise the risk for heart disease. These foods increase blood insulin levels, which in turn contribute to a higher blood pressure, higher levels of blood fats (triglycerides), lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, and an increased tendency for dangerous clots to form and linger in the blood.

Hypoglycemia - People who have meal-related reactive hypoglycemia secrete too much insulin after eating. This causes the cells to remove so much sugar from the blood that they feel weak, shaky, irritable, headachy, unable to concentrate, and very hungry with a few hours of eating. Choosing low-GI carbohydrates can help prevent this type of hypoglycemia because eating foods that promote a gradual rise in blood sugar and a lower insulin response reduces the likelihood that blood sugar levels will drop too low.

Obesity - Since low-GI foods are slowly digested, they provide a gradual and sustained rise in blood sugar. This keeps you feeling full and satisfied and delays the return of hunger between meals. Conversely, high-GI carbohydrates provide short bursts of energy that satisfy you in the short term but soon leave you hungry. Many of the fat-free and low-fat foods that have become popular over the last decade—such as bagels, processed cereals, rice cakes, crackers, snack chips, and cookies—tend to rank high on the glycemic index and may actually contribute to a pattern of overeating in some people.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) - This disorder affects about 7 percent of reproductive age women. Symptoms include altered hormone levels, disturbances in the menstrual cycle, infertility, and acne. Because PCOS is often associated with insulin resistance, women with this disorder are at increased risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Measures that improve insulin sensitivity, such as weight loss and exercise can help reverse PCOS symptoms. A low-GI diet, which minimizes insulin secretion, may also confer benefits.

Athletic Performance - Low glycemic index carbohydrates should be chosen for precompetition meals and snacks. These slowly digested carbs provide a steady stream of glucose to working muscles during exercise and enhance performance by making glycogen stores last longer.

When High-GI foods are eaten just prior to competition they can actually impair performance because they stimulate more insulin, which speeds removal of glucose from the blood and can lead to hypoglycemia. On the other hand, high-GI carbs are the preferred choice after the event because the insulin surge helps replenish muscle glycogen stores.

Some Cautions about Using the Glycemic Index

While the GI is an important dietary strategy, the total amount of calories and carbohydrate must also be considered when planning a healthful diet. Furthermore, not all low-GI foods are healthful choices. For instance, many candy bars and sweets have a low to moderate GI. However, these foods are also high in calories and low in nutrients and should be eaten with your overall nutrition goals in mind.

So in brief Low G.I. diets may help to:

· Control blood glucose level
· Control cholesterol level
· Control appetite
· Lower your risk of getting heart disease
· Lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Mulberry Basmati Rice which has low G.I. value is a long grain rice that becomes non sticky when cooked and is slowly digested than those with a high G.I. value short grain rice.

So it :

can be of benefit in weight management when combined with a reduced calorie intake.

can be eaten with foods high in soluble fibre (e.g. beans and lentils) and, this meal can also help to reduce blood cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet.