USYD professor Jennie Brown-Miller encourages women to eat a low GI diet

A leading GI researcher has found that by eating a low GI diet women could reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.

Everyone knows the importance of a balanced diet when it comes to health and wellbeing, but it is probably fair to say that most people enjoy the odd treat.

And while it might be tempting to eat a bag of potato chips on the run, if it becomes a habit it could do long-term damage to your health.

Professor Jennie Brown-Miller from the University of Sydney has dedicated much of her career to learning more about the impact certain foods and diets have on the body.

In one of her more recent publications the nation's leading glycemic index (GI) researcher has taken a closer look at the relationship between a low GI diet and breast cancer prevention.

Ms Brown-Miller believes that eating a low GI diet can help reduce the risk of breast cancer by helping women to better manage their weight, which stops body fat from accumulating and keeping their insulin levels under control.

"Some breast cancer cells positively thrive on oestrogen," she said.

"Body fat manufactures and releases oestrogen which can aid the spread of cancer. Overweight women are more likely to have breast cancer for this reason."

With weight a key factor in women's health, it seems that eating a low GI diet could help in the prevention of a number of lifestyle related illnesses including breast cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

"Consuming a low GI diet reduces both glucose and insulin levels, helping us to burn more fat and avoid weight gain over the longer term," she said, before further explaining the important role insulin plays in the human body.

"Insulin is a hormone that drives cell growth and multiplication. If you have a mutated cell, then it grows faster and bigger under the influence of high insulin."

For women wanting to make positive changes to their eating plan Ms Brown-Miller recommends looking for packages with the GI symbol at the local supermarket, as well as checking the amount of calories, total and saturated fat, sodium, fibre and calcium in different products before making any purchases.

According to her own research eating a high GI diet (GI 60) for more than five years could increase the risk of breast cancer in women by eight per cent, as opposed to those on a low GI (GI 45) eating plan.

The GI is used to measure the impact carbohydrates have on blood sugar levels after eating, low GI foods such as vegetables and whole grains are digested slowly and absorbed by the body at a slower rate than high GI products.