Pasta no, it doesn’t make you fat. It has a medium glycemic index , so it cannot be categorized among the foods with a high glycemic index (which do not necessarily make you fat, it depends on the quantity) but this phobia of pasta comes straight to us from America: between low-carb fashions and fear of gluten, pasta which is one of the pillars of our Mediterranean diet is often brought up as a food to be limited, or avoided.

Instead, an all-Italian study, from the epidemiology department of Irccs Neuromed in Pozzilli (Isernia) and published in the scientific journal “Nutrition and Diabetes , clears pasta as a fattening food and is going around the world. The researchers analyzed the body mass percentage and waist circumference of a sample of over 14 thousand people (Molise) and another 8 thousand in the rest of Italy, in two separate assessments. People who ate more pasta also had a lower BMI and a lower waist and hip circumference. The study lasted about five years. 

But how and how much to eat to lose weight? Pasta should be eaten al dente so that it is not only more digestible, but also with a medium glycemic index: those on a diet can eat from 55 grams (women) to 70 grams (men), or eat up to ten percent of the daily requirement. Seasoning it with simple sauces or vegetables and extra virgin olive oil so as not to raise the glycemic load. Those who are loyal to the concept of glycemic index can choose a long durum wheat semolina pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine. Conversely, the more the format is shortened, the more the glycemic index rises.