Glycaemic Index

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