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Saturday, July 3, 2021

Glycemic Index, and Insulin Index

Glycemic load and glycemic index are variables that measure the actual impact of foods that contain carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. The insulin index of a food demonstrates how much it elevates the concentration of insulin in the blood.


Despite efforts to control hyperglycemia, diabetes management is still challenging. This may be due to focusing on reducing hyperglycemia and neglecting the importance of hyperinsulinemia; while insulin resistance and resultant hyperinsulinemia preceded diabetes onset and may contribute to disease pathogenesis.


Glycemic index

The glycemic index is a tool that’s often used to promote better blood sugar management.

Several factors influence the glycemic index of a food, including its nutrient composition, cooking method, ripeness, and the amount of processing it has undergone.

The glycemic index can not only help increase your awareness of what you’re putting on your plate but also enhance weight loss, decrease your blood sugar levels, and reduce your cholesterol.

  • Low: 55 or less
  • Medium: 56-69
  • High: 70 or higher

Insulin Index


The insulin index of a food represents the elevation of the insulin concentration in the blood during the 2-h period after the food is ingested. The insulin index represents a comparison of food portions with equal overall caloric content (250 kcal or 1000 kJ). The insulin index can be more useful than either the glycemic index or the glycemic load, because certain foods, such as lean meats, cause an insulin response despite the fact that they contain very low amounts of carbohydrates.  

The Glycemic Index Scale:

Selecting foods based on carbohydrate counting, glycemic index or glycemic load are common guides to control glycemia in diabetic patients, but neglect the insulin response, thus leading to failure in diabetes management. Therefore, paying attention to insulinemic response along with glycemic response seems to be more effective in managing diabetes.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/

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