HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

273

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the Department of Health to investigate the feasibility of implementing a glycemic index program in the State to lead the nation in a glycemic index labeling initiative.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Human Nutrition Unit of the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences at the University of Sydney developed the glycemic index, which is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100, according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating; and

 

WHEREAS, recent studies from the Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the glycemic index of an individual's overall diet; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1999, the World Health Organization recommended that people in industrialized countries base their diets on foods that are low on the glycemic index to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity; and

 

WHEREAS, the American Diabetes Association suggests meal planning based upon the glycemic index; and

 

     WHEREAS, various types of carbohydrates behave differently in the human body and the glycemic index describes those differences by ranking different carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels; and

 

     WHEREAS, foods with a high glycemic index are rapidly digested and absorbed and cause marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels; and

 

     WHEREAS, on the other hand, low-glycemic foods are digested and absorbed slowly and thus produce only smaller and gradual fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels;

 

     WHEREAS, low-glycemic diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes by reducing insulin levels and insulin resistance and by helping to control appetite and delay hunger, thus assisting in weight control; and

 

WHEREAS, choosing these low-glycemic foods is critical to reducing incidence of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Department of Health:

 

     (1)  It is estimated that 72,000 to 100,000 individuals have diabetes in Hawaii, of which 25,000 or more remain undiagnosed.  Native Hawaiians, compared to other major ethnic groups, have the highest diabetes mortality rate.  Obesity rates are significantly higher among adults with diabetes when compared with adults without diabetes;

 

     (2)  Lower educational attainment is associated with higher diabetes prevalence and mortality rate.  The glycemic index is a quick and easy reference for individuals to understand and monitor and thus reduces the need for extensive state funded educational programs; and

 

     (3)  Hawaii has a higher prevalence than the national average of patients with end-stage renal disease requiring kidney dialysis.  Almost sixty per cent of patients receiving kidney dialysis for end-stage renal disease have a primary diagnosis of diabetes and incur high Medicaid costs; and

 

     WHEREAS, labeling on foods often identifies complex carbohydrates and sugars, now recognized as having little nutritional or physiological significance, and the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recommended that these terms be removed from the label and be replaced with a food's total carbohydrate content and its glycemic index value; and

 

     WHEREAS, the United States Food and Drug Administration presently requires food testing for food labeling and thus has an established procedure in place for glycemic index value labeling;

 

WHEREAS, adding a food's glycemic index value to the existing labeling procedure would require only a minor modification and would not significantly affect the cost of testing while providing consumers with a valuable tool for selecting appropriate healthy foods; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Department of Health is requested to investigate the feasibility of implementing a glycemic index program in the State to lead the nation in a glycemic index labeling initiative; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in its study, the Department of Health is further requested to:

 

     (1)  Coordinate efforts with the United States Food and Drug Administration; and

 

     (2)  Evaluate the impact on the following of a Hawaii glycemic index program that requires food labels to include glycemic index values:

 

         (A)  Food manufacturers;

 

         (B)  Consumers, including those suffering from diabetes, obesity, and coronary heart disease; and

 

         (C)  Costs of health care, including for hospitalizations due to complications from diabetes, obesity, and heart disease; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to submit findings and recommendations, including any necessary proposed legislation, to this body no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2010; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, President of the Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, and President of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Glycemic Index Program; Department of Health Study