- With Mayo Clinic endocrinologist
Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.
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Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.
Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.
Dr. Maria Collazo-Clavell is board certified in internal medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. She is a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism & Nutrition at Mayo Clinic and an assistant professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
The Aibonito, Puerto Rico, native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1994.
She is a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American College of Endocrinology, the American Diabetes Association and The Endocrine Society.
Dr. Collazo-Clavell is medical editor for the Web site's diabetes content and the book "Mayo Clinic on Managing Diabetes." Her clinical interests include management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity and nutritional disorders.
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Treatments and drugs (2)
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Lifestyle and home remedies (11)
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Alternative medicine (1)
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Question
Glycemic-index diet: A helpful tool for diabetes?
Is the glycemic-index diet useful for people with diabetes?
Answer
from Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.
Some people with diabetes use the glycemic index (GI) as a guide in selecting foods — especially carbohydrates — for meal planning. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on their effect on blood sugar level. Foods with a high glycemic-index value tend to raise your blood sugar faster and higher than do foods with a lower value. However, low-index foods aren't necessarily healthier than high-index foods are.
Although the glycemic-index diet has some potential benefits — such as reducing blood sugar levels — it is very complicated. Many factors affect the glycemic-index value of a specific food, including how the food is prepared and what's eaten with it. Also, the GI value for some foods isn't known. For these reasons, the American Diabetes Association has concluded there isn't enough evidence to recommend the general use of a low-glycemic-index diet for people with diabetes.
If you're interested in learning more about this meal-planning tool, talk to a registered dietitian. He or she can help you make changes in your diet.
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