What Is the Glycemic Index?
The Definition
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly carbohydrate foods raise blood sugar levels. It is based on a scale of 0 to 100, with pure glucose (dextrose) assigned a value of 100.
Foods with a high GI are quickly broken down and absorbed, causing a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. This can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems.
Foods with a low GI are slowly broken down and absorbed, causing a gradual increase in blood sugar levels. This is healthier because it helps to prevent weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems.
The History
The glycemic index was developed in 1981 by Dr. David Jenkins and his colleagues at the University of Toronto. Dr. Jenkins was investigating the relationship between carbohydrate intake and blood sugar levels. He found that some foods, such as white bread and potatoes, caused a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, while other foods, such as oatmeal and beans, caused a gradual increase in blood sugar levels.
Dr. Jenkins and his colleagues created the glycemic index to help people choose foods that are less likely to cause weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems.
How Is the Glycemic Index Determined?
The glycemic index is determined by measuring the blood sugar response of healthy volunteers after eating a set amount of carbohydrate food. The blood sugar response is measured for two hours after eating the food.
The glycemic index is calculated by comparing the blood sugar response of the carbohydrate food to the blood sugar response of pure glucose (dextrose). Pure glucose is assigned a value of 100.
What Are the Different Types of Glycemic Index?
There are three different types of glycemic index:
1) The total glycemic index measures the blood sugar response of a food after it has been consumed without any other foods.
2) The incremental glycemic index measures the blood sugar response of a food after it has been consumed with other foods.
3) The relative glycemic index compares the blood sugar response of a food to the blood sugar response of pure glucose.
The Glycemic Load
The glycemic load (GL) is another way to measure the impact of carbohydrate foods on blood sugar levels. The GL takes into account both the GI of a food and the amount of carbohydrate in the food.
The GL is calculated by multiplying the GI of a food by the amount of carbohydrate in the food. The GL of a food is then divided by 100.
Foods with a high GL are quickly broken down and absorbed, causing a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. Foods with a low GL are slowly broken down and absorbed, causing a gradual increase in blood sugar levels.
The GL can be used to compare different foods and to choose foods that are less likely to cause weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems.
Conclusion
The glycemic index and the glycemic load are two important tools for understanding how carbohydrate foods affect blood sugar levels. These tools can be used to choose foods that are less likely to cause weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems.