You can change how quickly foods raise your blood sugar (by picking different carbs) without changing how many calories you eat or how much protein, fat, or fiber is in your diet—and this might affect health risks like insulin resistance in overweight men.

Scientists can create special diets for overweight men where they change how quickly carbs raise blood sugar—without changing how many calories, fiber, or fats are in the food—so they can see if the type of carb itself affects health.

Eating foods with different sugar impacts doesn't seem to reliably change heart disease risk markers in overweight men after just four weeks—so short-term diet changes might not be enough to make a difference.

If you eat different kinds of food for four weeks—some high in sugar, some low—but everything else stays the same, your body’s insulin response, inflammation, and blood clotting don’t consistently change if you’re overweight or obese.

If you're overweight or obese, eating a lot of sugary or starchy foods might raise your chance of heart disease by almost half—but if you're a normal weight, those foods don’t seem to make a difference. Your weight changes how those foods affect your heart.

Eating a lot of foods that spike your blood sugar quickly may raise your chance of getting heart disease—even if you’re otherwise healthy or don’t smoke or have high blood pressure.