A high glycemic index and heart disease in women. Women who consume foods with a high glycemic index are at higher risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) than men, according to a report in the April 12 Archives of Internal Medicine. The glycemic index measures how quickly a food raises blood glucose levels. The Italian study of 44,132 volunteers found that among women, eating foods with a high glycemic index increased the risk of CHD by 68%, whereas eating low-glycemic index foods did not. The authors write that "[A] high consumption of carbohydrates from high-[glycemic index] foods, rather than the overall quantity of carbohydrates consumed, appears to influence the risk of developing CHD." There was no correlation between eating foods with a high glycemic index and CHD in men.