For example,
Prevent heart disease. Researchers say that if people reduced the overall amount of fat in their diet, the amount of saturated fat would also drop. Since fat has more than twice as many calories as carbohydrate and protein (9 calories per gram for fat compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrate or protein), reducing the amount of fat in the diet and increasing the amount of carbohydrate would mean eating fewer calories.
Carbohydrate foods are naturally low in fat. When minimally processed, they contain fiber that helps reduce cholesterol levels by removing LDL from the body.
To help reduce the risk of heart disease, the American Heart Association (AHA) currently recommends a diet rich in fruits; vegetables; legumes (beans); whole, unrefined, complex carbohydrates; low-fat dairy products; fish; lean meats; and poultry.
Gastrointestinal disease. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grains, are particularly helpful for improving overall gastrointestinal health. These foods are high in fiber, which plays a pivotal role in reducing the incidence of constipation and diverticulosis, a condition in which tiny pouches form inside the colon. Fiber may also reduce the risk of colon, stomach, and gallbladder cancers. Increased intake of intact grains and other fiber-rich, whole, complex carbohydrate foods helps decrease pressure inside the intestinal tract and may help prevent diverticulosis as well as diverticulitis, the painful inflammation of the pouches. Many of these complex carbohydrate foods also pack vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and a host of B vitamins, as well as antioxidants such as vitamins E and C, selenium, and beta carotene. The phytic acid found in whole grains may help reduce cancer risk by decreasing free radicals. Free radicals, molecules formed as a byproduct of various biochemical processes in your body, can damage cells. Reducing the amount of free radicals can in turn reduce the risk of cancer.
Diabetes. A diet filled with complex carbohydrates can help treat and manage diabetes. The body processes all forms of carbohydrate the same way, turning them into sugar (glucose). It's the speed with which the carbohydrate is processed and its corresponding effect on blood sugar that is important in diabetes management. Since simple, refined carbohydrates raise blood sugar more dramatically than do complex carbohydrates, people with diabetes should eat low-GI carbohydrates rather than refined, high-GI carbs.
Insulin resistance. One way to reduce your chances of developing insulin resistance is by eating plenty of low-GI complex carbohydrates and fewer high-GI, refined, simple carbohydrates.
Obesity. People who are overweight typically respond differently to carbohydrates than people who are not. A diet of high-GI, refined carbohydrates may have a much more adverse effect on an obese person's health. For example, in the ongoing Nurses' Health Study, established at Brigham and Women's Hospital in 1976 with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the odds of having a heart attack are increased for overweight women who eat lots of simple (easily digested) carbohydrates. Additionally, volunteers following high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets experienced unhealthy changes in levels of HDL (the good cholesterol), triglycerides (a type of fat), blood sugar, and insulin-the changes being most pronounced in overweight, inactive people. People who are lean and active may be better able to handle a high-carbohydrate intake for a number of reasons. First of all, being overweight makes it more difficult for insulin to do its job helping glucose get into the cells to provide energy. Secondly, people who are more active require more fuel for energy and are particularly efficient at burning carbohydrate, which is the body's preferred source. This allows active people to burn excess carbohydrate for energy instead of storing it as fat. Finally, when you have less fat tissue and more muscle, the body is more efficient at processing and digesting food, including carbohydrates. Whole grains, legumes, fruits, and most vegetables are naturally low in fat and contain healthy carbohydrates and significant amounts of fiber, all of which contribute to an overall healthy eating plan. Human studies have produced mixed results in the low-GI/weight-loss arena, but it certainly isn't harmful to employ the GI when making daily food choices. Some people may experience weight loss as a result.
Source: http://www.howstuffworks.com
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