Three decades ago, the concept of "glycemic index" entered the science of nutrition. With a look at it, even the diet is built. What he really is?
Scale for diabetics
This parameter arose after diabetes specialists raised suspicions about the fact that not all foods that contain sugar with the same speed increase the concentration of glucose in the blood.
. In 1980-1981.David Jenkins, a professor from Canada, who studied diabetes, decided to test the unshakable postulates in practice. Prior to this no one asked this question.
As a result of the research it was found that a high-sugar ice cream in comparison with simple bread much less raises so important for people suffering from diabetes as a concentration of glucose in the blood.
This discovery led to more global dimensions. It was necessary to invent how to compare products, determine their danger for people suffering from diabetes. Thus, the term "glycemic index"( GI) was born.
Measurement of GI
The glycemic index of a product reports how fast the blood glucose level increases after eating this product compared to the values after consumption of pure glucose( standard).
Some prefer to build on the values of white bread, building a table according to them. In this case, calculations are made in grain units. Counted "for bread" the index is higher, as the concentration of sugar in the blood increases after it at a lower rate than when taking glucose.
It is necessary to distinguish between calculation methods. So, if the rate of increase in glucose in the blood caused by the use of bread is taken as 100, the GI of pure glucose will be 140( in bread units).When the calculation of the glycemic index for pure glucose is performed, the GI values of the products range from 0-100.
Myths about GI
It is vitally important for diabetics to know the GI of various products. However, they are interested in healthy people. Why? The reason is banal.
It may seem that the higher the GI product, the faster the concentration of glucose in the blood grows, accordingly, more insulin is produced, more glucose is converted to fats and converted to fat stores of the body. So we offer a simple solution - we eat foods with a low glycemic index and do not gain weight.
Meanwhile, not everything is so simple. It is important to consider a number of factors:
- Only superfluous glucose passes into the fat stores. At first, glucose is used by the body for current needs and for the formation of glycogen, which is stored in muscles and liver. Therefore, you should not completely abandon carbohydrates.
- The glycemic index is a relative parameter. One spoonful of sugar in black tea is less scary for problem areas than a whole baguette. This is despite the fact that GI bread is lower.
- GI refers to the rate of increase in blood glucose, but not about the amount of carbohydrates in foods. Pumpkin and potatoes, for example, have the same glycemic index, but in potato of carbohydrates more than 3 times. They are simply digested more slowly.
- Low glycemic index can lead to a dangerous effect of "double glucose".Suppose you ate in the morning a product that has a low GI, but which has a greater amount of carbohydrates. As a result, glucose in the blood from breakfast will be replenished with glucose in the blood obtained during lunch, which will lead to the postponement of extra pounds, and for diabetics, the glucose level will exceed the dangerous threshold.
The decrease in GI should not be a panacea. Sausages, black chocolate and sunflower seeds have a low glycemic index, but can you lose weight with such a diet? Of course not, because these products contain 30-80% fat. The organism does not fundamentally, from which to create fat stores, whether from fat or carbohydrates, it will not wait for the intake of the latter.
Hence the conclusion: people who suffer from diabetes or have a predisposition to it because of heredity, should take into account the glycemic index, but the composition of food is also of great importance. For weight loss, the GI is worth taking into account, but one should not consider the use of foods with a low glycemic index as a panacea from excess weight.