Dietary Carbohydrates

Dietary Carbohydrates

Understanding the links between carbohydrates and health

Task Force Information

Objectives and list of Task Force members

Contact Information

Contact details in case you have specific questions

Activity Overview

Overview of ongoing and upcoming activities

Expert Groups

Objectives, output and list of experts involved in each activity

Publications

List of publications of this
Task Force

Multimedia

Links to Task Force related documents,
recordings and much more...

Completed Expert Groups

Details including experts involved in each activity

Task Force Information

Objectives

The Dietary Carbohydrates Task Force generates, integrates, and translates scientific evidence on carbohydrate quality, dietary fibre, food matrix, and processing to support stratified, evidence-based dietary recommendations for health and sustainability beyond glycaemic control.

Why It Matters

Carbohydrates and fibres are central to the shift toward more plant-based, sustainable dietary patterns. Yet, current classifications based on chemical structure alone don't capture key physiological properties such as digestibility, glycaemic response, and fermentability. That leaves a gap between food labelling and health guidance.

For public health, better evidence on carbohydrates enables more precise dietary guidance and, ultimately, healthier and more sustainable food choices by consumers.

For companies, robust evidence supports product innovation, reformulation and credible communication, helping meet evolving dietary guidance and consumer needs.

Task Force Members

WP DataTables

* Scientific Advisors

Contact Information

For more detailed information, please contact Ching-Yu Chang at cchang@ilsieurope.be

Activity Overview

Ongoing

- Carbohydrate and Protein Intake Interaction 

The activity aims to review and publish evidence on possible influences of the type of carbohydrates (digestible and non-digestible) and protein ingestion on post prandial metabolism at acute and medium to long term effect.

Start date: 2023 | End date: 2025

- Precision Nutrition to Prevent Chronic Metabolic Diseases

The Expert Group aims to address precision nutrition in a narrative review exploring its definition, approach, translation into practice, and future perspectives. Increasing evidence suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, and that personalized nutrition could help reverse the rising prevalence of chronic metabolic diseases. The expert group will have a physical workshop in Q2 2025 to discuss the translation of precision nutrition into primary prevention and relevant considerations.

Start date: 2024 | End date: 2026

In the pipeline

The Task Force is considering developing an new activity on:

  • Dietary fibre: how fibre quality is defined and how gut-level effects (e.g., short-chain fatty acids) translate into whole-body health outcomes, and what that means for future dietary guidance and personalised nutrition. Ideas welcome.

Expert Groups

Carbohydrate and Protein Intake Interaction

Background and objectives

This activity reviews and publishes evidence on how the type of carbohydrate (digestible and non-digestible) co-ingested with protein influences post-prandial metabolism, both acutely (within a day) and over the medium to long term (several days to months). It focuses on two effects:

  • The effect of protein on carbohydrate metabolism and blood glucose homeostasis
  • The effect of carbohydrates on muscle protein synthesis, breakdown, and muscle mass

The findings may support the selection of carbohydrates and proteins to target healthier food profiles, notably to:

  • Optimise carbohydrate and protein combinations to limit the potential negative effects of some carbohydrates on health (for example, exacerbation of glycaemic excursions)
  • Compensate for poorer protein quality or intake and utilisation (for example, in plant-based diets or ageing populations), while highlighting remaining research gaps

Output

Open access peer reviewed publication.

Expert Group Members

Precision Nutrition to Prevent Chronic Metabolic Diseases

Background and objectives

One size does not fit all. Growing evidence suggests that personalised nutrition and lifestyle approaches may help reverse the rising prevalence of chronic metabolic diseases.

The aim of this activity is to provide guidance for healthcare professionals, health authorities, and the food industry on how to effectively implement precision nutrition, accounting for factors such as sleep, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and psychosocial context.

Addressing four aspects of personalised nutrition (definition, approach, translation into prevention practice, and future perspectives), the Expert Group will conduct a systematic review, finalised through a physical workshop to discuss perspectives and incorporate workshop insights into the final review.

Output

Workshop (held in October 2025) + Open access peer-reviewed publication

Expert Group Members

Publications

Filter

All Publications

ILSI Europe Systematic Review: The Impact of Digestible and Nondigestible Carbohydrate Consumption for Toddlers (1–4 Years) in Relation to Health Outcomes

Nutrition Reviews, 2025

  • ILSI Europe

Early dietary habits play a crucial role in shaping long-term health outcomes. Understanding the effects of different carbohydrate types on physiological markers is essential for developing evidence-based nutritional guidelines for toddlers. The aim of the article is to systematically evaluate the impact of both digestible and nondigestible carbohydrate intake during early childhood (1–4 years of age) on various health outcomes, including growth patterns, metabolic parameters, and the development of risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Read more

Health relevance of lowering postprandial glycaemia in the paediatric population through diet’: results from a multistakeholder workshop

European Journal of Nutrition , 2022

  • ILSI Europe

To summarize current knowledge and gaps regarding the role of postprandial glycaemic response in the paediatric population, a workshop was organized in June 2021 by the European branch of the International Life Science Institute (ILSI). The workshop led to the consensus on the crucial role on health of postprandial glycaemic response in paediatric population.

Read more

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			Abstract	

	Context: Early dietary habits play a crucial role in shaping long-term health outcomes. Understanding the effects of different carbohydrate types on physiological markers is essential for developing evidence-based nutritional guidelines for toddlers.

Objective: The aim was to systematically evaluate the impact of both digestible and nondigestible carbohydrate intake during early childhood (1-4 years of age) on various health outcomes, including growth patterns, metabolic parameters, and the development of risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched up to April 2022 to identify studies investigating carbohydrate consumption in toddlers.

Data Extraction: The types of carbohydrates consumed, their sources, and their associations with growth parameters and metabolic markers were extracted. Thirty-one publications, including 18 cohort studies and 2 randomized controlled trials, were included.

Data Analysis: The risk of bias was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A narrative synthesis was performed, with a visual summary table of the direction of effects.

Conclusion: In toddlers, the negative impact on health risks later in life is more pronounced for digestible dietary carbohydrate intake in liquid forms, such as sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice, compared with solid forms. Higher nondigestible carbohydrate (dietary fiber) intake during early childhood showed a beneficial trend on later lipid profile. Further studies are required to comprehensively assess the effect of digestible and nondigestible carbohydrate intake in toddlers on cognitive and psychomotor development, infections, bowel function, and gut microbiota.
			
						Read the full paper
					


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Commissioned by the Dietary Carbohydrates Task Force



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			Abstract	

	Context: Early dietary habits play a crucial role in shaping long-term health outcomes. Understanding the effects of different carbohydrate types on physiological markers is essential for developing evidence-based nutritional guidelines for toddlers.

Objective: The aim was to systematically evaluate the impact of both digestible and nondigestible carbohydrate intake during early childhood (1-4 years of age) on various health outcomes, including growth patterns, metabolic parameters, and the development of risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched up to April 2022 to identify studies investigating carbohydrate consumption in toddlers.

Data Extraction: The types of carbohydrates consumed, their sources, and their associations with growth parameters and metabolic markers were extracted. Thirty-one publications, including 18 cohort studies and 2 randomized controlled trials, were included.

Data Analysis: The risk of bias was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A narrative synthesis was performed, with a visual summary table of the direction of effects.

Conclusion: In toddlers, the negative impact on health risks later in life is more pronounced for digestible dietary carbohydrate intake in liquid forms, such as sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice, compared with solid forms. Higher nondigestible carbohydrate (dietary fiber) intake during early childhood showed a beneficial trend on later lipid profile. Further studies are required to comprehensively assess the effect of digestible and nondigestible carbohydrate intake in toddlers on cognitive and psychomotor development, infections, bowel function, and gut microbiota.
			
						Read the full paper
					


			One pager	

				


			Podcast	

	
	
Commissioned by the Dietary Carbohydrates Task Force



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