The American journal of clinical nutritionOct 9, 2007

Dietary sugar impact on good cholesterol but not diabetes risk in the Whitehall II study

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Updated Apr 5, 2026

Abstract

In a study of 7321 participants over 13 years, dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) showed no protective effect against diabetes risk.

At baseline, higher dietary GI was linked to lower levels of HDL cholesterol and higher levels of triacylglycerols.
Both dietary GI and GL were inversely associated with fasting glucose but directly associated with 2-hour postload glucose.
The link between GI and 2-hour postload glucose remained significant after adjusting for various lifestyle factors.
High dietary GI did not correlate with an increased risk of developing diabetes, with hazard ratios indicating no significant trend.
Dietary GL showed a potential protective effect against diabetes risk, but this did not hold after adjusting for carbohydrate and fiber intakes.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: Findings of the effect of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) on the risk of incident diabetes are inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the associations of dietary GI and GL with clinical variables at baseline and the incidence of diabetes.

DESIGN: The 7321 white Whitehall II participants (71% men) attending screening in 1991-1993, free of diabetes at baseline, and with food-frequency questionnaire data were followed for 13 y.

RESULTS: At baseline, dietary GI and GL were associated inversely with HDL cholesterol, and GI was associated directly with triacylglycerols. Dietary GI and GL were related inversely to fasting glucose and directly to 2-h postload glucose, but only the association between GI and 2-h postload glucose was robust to statistical adjustments for employment grade, physical activity, smoking status, and intakes of alcohol, fiber, and carbohydrates. High-dietary GI was not associated with increased risk of incident diabetes. Hazard ratios (HRs) across sex-specific tertiles of dietary GI were 1.00, 0.95 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.24), and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.72, 1.22) (adjusted for sex, age, and energy misreporting; P for trend = 0.64). Corresponding HRs across tertiles of dietary GL were 1.00, 0.92 (95% CI: 0.71, 1.19), and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.92) (P for trend = 0.01). The protective effect on diabetes risk remained significant after adjustment for employment grade, smoking, and alcohol intake but not after further adjustment for carbohydrate and fiber intakes.

CONCLUSION: The proposed protective effect of low-dietary GI and GL diets on diabetes risk could not be confirmed in this study.

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Dietary sugar impact on good cholesterol but not diabetes risk in the Whitehall II study

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