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Slow starches promoted for weight loss

Jul 18 ,Medicine & Health


A Texas doctor has developed the "Slow Starch" diet as a way to help San Antonio shed its title as one of the fattest cities in the nation.

Dr. George Troxler, Medical Director of Employee Health Services at University Health System in San Antonio, developed the diet after reading about the positive medical results of eating low-glycemic index foods reported by researchers at Harvard School of Medicine.

"When I read the article by the Harvard researchers on the effect of eating low glycemic index foods on the Metabolic Syndrome (which is mainly caused by obesity), I thought we might have a chance to reduce the number of people diabetes is killing in San Antonio," Troxler said in a release.

Troxler, who said the National Institute of Health has listed San Antonio as the most obese city in the country, is urging his patients to use whole grain breads to reduce food cravings, KENS-TV in San Antonio reported.

The idea is that processed foods turn into sugar very quickly and raise insulin levels, making a person feel hungrier faster. KENS-TV said more than 300 University Health System employees are following the diet with great success.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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