Friday 21 October 2016

The Nature of Carbohydrate: The Glycemic Index.

The Nature of Carbohydrate: The Glycemic Index.


Surprisingly,  scientists  did  not  study  the  actual  blood- glucose  responses  to  common  foods  until  the  early 1980s.  prior  to  that ,  they’d  tested  solutions of  pure  sugars  and  raw  starches  and  had  drawn  conclusions  that  did  not  apply  to  real  foods  in  real  meals.



Since  1981,  hundreds  of  different  foods  have  been  tested  as  single  foods  and  in  mixed  meals  with  both  healthy  people  and  people  with  diabetes  .  professors  David Jenkins  and  Tom  Wolever  at  the  University  of  Toronto  were  the  first  to  introduce  the term “glycemic index”  to  compare  the  ability  of  different carbohydrate  to  raise  blood- glucose  levels.

The  glycemic  index  is  simply  a  numerical  way  of  describing  how  the  carbohydrate  in  individual  foods  affect  blood- glucose  levels.  Foods  with  a  high  glycemic  index value  contain  carbohydrate  that  cause  a  dramatic  rise  in  blood  glucose  levels,  while  foods  with  a  low  glycemic  index value  contain  carbohydrate  with  much  less impact.

The   glycemic   index   describes   the  type  of  carbohydrate  in  foods.  It   indicates   their  ability   to  raise  your  blood  glucose  levels.

This   research  has  turned  some  widely  held beliefs  upside  down  (it  truly   is  a  revolution )  and  in  the  process,  quite  understandably  ,  caused  a  lot  of  controversy .
The  first   surprise   was  the  starch  in  foods  like  bread ,  potatoes ,  and  many  types  of  rice  is  digested   and  absorbed  very  quickly  not slowly  ,  as  had  always  been  assumed.
Second ,  scientists  found  that  the  sugar  in  foods (like  fruit ,  candy  and  ice  cream) did  not  produce  more  rapid  or  prolonged  rises  in  blood  glucose ,as  had  always  been  thought.   The  truth  was  that  most  of  the  sugars  in foods , regardless  of  the  source , actually  produced   quite  moderate  blood  glucose  responses,  lower  than  most  starches .
We  need  to  forget  the  old  distinctions   that   have  been  made  between  starchy  foods  and  sugary  foods ,  or  simple  versus  complex  carbohydrates.  They  have  no  useful  application  at  all  when  it  comes  to  blood glucose levels.  Even  an  experienced  scientist  with  a  detailed knowledge  of  a  food’s  chemical  composition  finds  it  difficult   to  predict a  food’s  glycemic   index  value.

Forget  about  the   words  simple  and  complex  carbohydrate  .  think in  terms  of  low  and  high  GI  values.

Refferences and weblinks

Glycemic Index – NutritionData.com
nutritiondata.self.com/topics/glycemic-index

Carbohydrates and the glycaemic index - Better Health Channel
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/.../carbohydrates-and-the-glycaemic-index

International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 20021,2
ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/1/5.full.pdf

What is the Glycemic Index? - The World's Healthiest Foods
www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=32

Glycemic Index - The Sugar Association
https://www.sugar.org/sugar-your-diet/family-health/glycemic-index/

Glycemic index - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index

Glycemic load - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_load
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European Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Glycemic index and ... - Nature
www.nature.com › Journal home › Archive › Reviews

The role of the glycemic index in food choice
www.fao.org/docrep/w8079e/w8079e0a.htm

Glycemic Index

www.glycemicindex.com/

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