The quality of carbohydrates depends on several factors: that they are solid rather than liquid; the amount of fiber they contain, the more the better; if they are cereals, the better whole grains; and that they are slow absorbing. If these four elements are combined , the risk of having nutritional deficits and developing obesity is reduced.

This conclusion has been reached by researchers at project SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) on a study related to the effects of refined and whole grains on health. The main researcher , Professor Miguel Angel Martínez-González, from department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, presented these results obtained from two different programs of study : one associated with nutritional adequacy and the other with the risk of obesity, at an international congress on per diem expenses Mediterranean held in Barcelona.

Regarding the former, Itziar Zazpe and Susana Santiago, professors of the Degree of Nutrition of the School of Pharmacy, suggest that"dietary advice on the adequate intake of carbohydrates should not only focus on the quantity to be consumed, but also on their quality". In this way," they add, "an increase in the consumption of whole grains and fiber, and a decrease in the consumption of added sugars in the per diem expenses and liquid carbohydrates, would not only reduce the negative health effects of the latter, but also contribute to achieving adequate intakes of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)".

Obesity prevention

A second study conducted in the SUN cohort evaluated the association between carbohydrate quality and the risk of developing obesity, and found that the higher the carbohydrate quality, the lower the risk of developing obesity.

"Our results help to highlight the importance that carbohydrate intake guidelines related to obesity prevention should focus on improving quality by increasing dietary fiber intake, consuming whole grains, better solid carbohydrates, and choosing foods low on the glycemic index, rather than limiting the amount or percentage of total energy," the researchers say.

The goal of both programs of study was to evaluate association between a new carbohydrate quality index and the adequacy of intake of 19 micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in a sample of 16,841 participants from the SUN cohort. Quality was measured by considering together the four factors described above: solids rather than liquids, high fiber, whole grain, and slow absorption, or low glycemic index.