SYDNEY, July 18 (UPI) -- Eating foods like lentils with a long, gentle release of sugar -- a low-glycemic index -- may help people lose weight, according to an Australian review.
The researchers looked at research trials comparing the effects of eating high- and low-glycemic index foods. They concluded that people eating low-glycemic index diets lost a mean of more than 2 pounds than those on similar calorie high-glycemic index diets.
Low glycemic index diets appear to be particularly effective for people who are obese, according to lead author Dr. Diana Thomas, of the Center for Evidence Based Pediatrics Gastroenterology and Nutrition, in Westmead, Australia.
"It may be easier to adhere to a low-glycemic index diet than a conventional weight loss diet, since there is less need to restrict the intake of food so long as the carbohydrates consumed have a low-glycemic index," Thomas said in a statement.
White bread has a high glycemic index.
