In What Style To Utilise The Glycemic Index In The Correct Style?

By Author: Patrick Beaufay
Total Articles: 52
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The glycemic index (GI) allows to classify food according to post-prandial glycemic answer (= rise in the rate of blood glucose which follows the food catch), in comparison with a food of reference which is generally the starch of the white bread or glucose. To measure the glycemic index, one makes consume food to be tested by a group of subjects fasting since the day before, the portion of the food-test having to contain 50 G of glucids available. The glycemia of the subjects is then measured regularly during the 2 hours which follow the ingestion of the food-test.
For the same food, there are variations according to studies', but a good coherence of the results is in general observed. In certain cases however, the variations are important, which is explained by the technological treatments undergone by food: indeed, if one takes the example of the starch of cereals, one observes that the more the size of the food particle (cereal grain ground) decreases and the more the glycemic index increases. In the same way, during the industrial treatment of food, the pre-cooking, which involves a gelatinization of the starch, improves ...
... its digestibility and, consequently, raises its glycemic index. In addition, the different sort of cereals are also responsible for variations of the GI, since the starch can be more or less rich in amylose according to cases'

The knowledge of the G.I. (Glycemic Index) of a food makes it possible to adapt the food choices according to the needs for an individual, who they are those diabetics or the sportsmen.
Concerning the sport men, one observes a cover of the energy needs more lengthened in time when the sporting effort low follows a meal to glycemic index (like pasta) compared to a meal to high glycemic index (like potatoes). Conversely, they are the food with high index glycemic which supports recreate glycogen after the effort.

It will be also noted that the food with weak index glycemic satisfies better than those whose index glycemic is high, underlining the interest of an enlightened choice making it possible to avoid the early appearance of the hunger, in particular at the obese subjects.

Lastly, one will relative underline the preventive interest of food with weak glycemic index with the cardiovascular diseases and the diabetes of the type 2. Contrary, the risks of appearance of a Not Insulin dependent Diabetes (diabetes of the type 2) are important at the subjects which consume many food with raised index glycemic, those inducing a insulin resistance indeed. However, contrary to the beliefs which circulate for a long time, the starchy foods (rich foods in starch) do not have necessarily a glycemic index low than food sweetened like the sweetened fruits or yoghurts, which contain simple sugars. That is primarily due to the industrial treatments undergone by these "modern" starchy foods.

If it is interesting to know the glycemic index of a food, it should not be forgotten that with the course a meal, the food is mixed, this which affects the glycemic index of the meal, since the proteins, the lipids and the fibers decrease this one. Moreover, as one has just mentioned the fact that the presence of the lipids in food lowers the glycemic index of this one, it results from this that all the food having a weak glycemic index therefore is not recommended if they are in addition rich in lipids.

Moreover, it is advisable to bring back this knowledge to the practice. Thus, even if the water melon has a glycemic index raised (72) (1), one will notice that to absorb 50 G of glucids available, it is necessary all the same to introduce 769 grams of water melon without pit, which is not the case every day! In comparison, with their glycemic index of 77 (1), and their 87,6 grams of glucids available to 100 G (2), it is enough to 57 grams cornflakes to reach 50 G of glucids available! It is thus clear that it is to better control its consumption of cornflakes rather than its water melon consumption... because the water melon not containing that a weak glucid rate is not a hyperglycemic food in spite of its high glycemic index. One sees thus that concept of glycemic index is useful, but that it is also complex insofar as its use requires to also hold account of the content of lipids and glucids of food, as well as composition of the meal.