Glycemic Index
31 January 2009
No CommentWhat is Glycemic Index?
The ingredients of the food that we consume are absorbed into our blood in the form of glucose to provide energy to the body. Glycemic index or GI tells us how carbohydrates affect our blood glucose levels.
Carbohydrates that break down quickly during the digestion process, discharge glucose very fast into the blood have a higher Glycemic Index; in contrast, when glucose is gradually released into the blood, the associated carbohydrates are said to have a lower GI.
Foods items having a low GI are considered to have considerable health benefits. Dr. David J. Jenkins developed this model in 1981 to find out the most suitable food for people having diabetes.
A lower GI implies a reduced rate of digestion process and accordingly slower absorption of the sugars and starches. A lower Glycemic response is generally considered to result in a reduced insulin demand, improved blood glucose control over long periods and a decrease in blood lipids.
As per current standards, glucose is considered as the reference food having a GI value of 100. However, the reference foods need more detailed definition and one major problem is that in different cultures, depending upon the food habits, reference food needs to be changed.
Why we need to know it?
A low GI value foodstuff releases glucose gradually where as a high GI food results in a fast absorption of glucose into blood. This makes foods with higher GI more suitable for quick recovery of energy for some physical exercise or exertion for example for athletes. This is also equally good for individuals having diabetes and experiencing hypoglycemia. There are many factors that influence the GI index for example the type of starch contents in the food, molecular structure of the starch contained in the food, amount of fats and proteins in the food and the effect of organic acids or their salts e.g. adding vinegar has the potential of reducing the GI value. The presence of fat or fiber content can also reduce the GI value. Many individuals prefer adding fiber rich food content e.g. Bios Life Slim or its variants or other equally beneficial products to control the GI value and make their meals healthier.
It may be noted that this index is applicable only when the food contents have a reasonable amount of carbohydrate contents (approximately 50 g) in consumer’s food. Being fiber rich in nature, many fruits and vegetable have either nil or a very low GI values. Alcoholic beverages except for beer have also been found to have low GI values.
Health Benefits of GI
It has been found that individuals consuming low GI value food over a long period of time have considerably lower chances of having diabetes or any heart problem. Comparatively, individuals consuming higher GI food have greater risk of these deceases since higher GI food can cause vascular damage leading to diabetes or heart attacks.
Weight loss and GI
Recent studies have provided irrefutable evidences that high GI carbohydrate results in greater than before threat of obesity. The study found that rats fed on higher GI food were found to be 71% fatter than the rats fed on low GI food. The study confirmed in this experiment that sustained consumption of high glycemic index carbohydrates has a very high possibility of severe metabolic irregularities in the body.
Criticism
One major criticism faced by GI is that it considers only the resulting glucose in blood chemistry, and ignores the effects of other sugars like fructose, which can be as damaging as glucose. Though it doesn’t produce any insulin response, it has its own set of health related problems caused due to higher plasma lipids. Further, GI value is dependent upon the individual; type of food consumed and can be different every day! In case of a mixed meal, GI is very difficult to calculate. For example, fats and proteins that have a longer digestion period have a low GI. Therefore, one should consider other factors such as insulin response also before deciding on the food. Addition of Fiber rich food such as Bios Life Slim or other equally good weight loss products definitely helps in keeping you fit and healthier. Finally, never forget to consult your doctor before applying any radical changes to your diet.
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