Refined carbohydrates are those that have a high glycemic index. These foods rapidly break down into simple sugars that are readily absorbed by your bloodstream causing a rise in insulin levels.
Researchers also found that greater consumption of dietary fibre, whole grains, vegetables and fresh fruits is associated with decreased depression risk. James Gangwisch, and colleages from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York looked at data from more than 70,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the US National Institutes of Health's Women's Health Initiative Observational Study between 1994 and 1998. Consumption of carbohydrates increases blood sugar levels to varying degrees, depending on the type of food ingested.
The more highly refined the carbohydrate, the higher its score on the glycemic index (GI) scale that measures the amount of sugar found in the blood after eating in a scale of 0-100. This response may also cause or exacerbate mood changes, fatigue and other symptoms of depression in post-menopausal women, the findings showed.
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