Glycaemic Index

Table of Contents☰

About Glycaemic Index

It ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on the blood glucose response, post-prandial or after a meal. The higher the blood sugar reading, the higher will be the GI.
It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.
Foods are ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, with pure glucose (sugar) given a value of 100.
The lower a food’s glycemic index, the slower blood sugar rises after eating that food. In general, the more processed a food is, the higher its GI, and the more fiber or fat in a food, the lower it’s GI.

What is Glycaemic load?

It is both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate in a specific food, and is the product of the GI and the amount of carbohydrate available in a serving.

Key facts about Diabetes

It is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.
Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.
Not being able to produce or use insulin effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood, known as hyperglycaemia.
Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.
Type of Diabetes
- Type 1 diabetes: It is a condition in which your immune system destroys insulin-making cells in your pancreas. These are called beta cells.
- When you have type 1 diabetes, your body produces very little or no insulin.
- It requires daily administration of insulin to maintain blood glucose levels under control. It is usually diagnosed in children and young people, so it used to be called juvenile diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes: It results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin that it produces. This type of diabetes is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Q1: What is a carbohydrate?

It is a naturally occurring compound, or a derivative of such a compound, with the general chemical formula Cx(H2O)y, made up of molecules of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O). Carbohydrates are the most widespread organic substances and play a vital role in all life.

Source: Lancet paper provides proof for undeniable link between high glycaemic index and diabetes