Facts about the Glycemic Index and Load Index

Glycemic Index Diets – the glycemic index and load is becoming more and more useful nowadays, especially in measuring the blood sugar’s response to consumed carbohydrates per gram from foods. For example, parsnip has a glycemic index which is almost as high as pure sugar at 98. If the face value is taken, this should be avoided by those who are on a diet.

This value may seem high because the GI rates the carbohydrate’s effects per gram instead of rating the parsnip’s total effects per gram. The sugar contents in minute amount of a parsnip are highly absorbable. The high GI rating for parsnips may seem to be misleading.

Due to this, the measurement is taken into account using a different method, and that is the glycemic load. The glycemic index and load goes hand-in-hand since the GL is obtained by multiplying the GI with the percent of carbohydrate present in a food. This way, the glucose and insulin response is measured per gram of food instead of per gram of carbohydrate-content in a food. The GL load of a parsnip has a value of 10 and glucose has a GL value of 100. Potato, which is considered the ultimate no-no for dieters, has a GL of 27 per serving. Knowing these, it would make more sense now than just basing everything on the GI.

Intervention trials were done conducted since it is more reliable and some were conducted to be able to evaluate that is based on the glycemic index and load, the low-GI diet. Thirty people were followed – those with high lipid levels – for 3 months and low-GI foods were replaced with higher GI foods during the 2nd month, but all other nutrients were kept the same. Researchers have seen improvements in LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides, but not with the HDL. Looking more closely on the results, it has shown that patients who have high triglycerides before the study began were the most beneficial. On another controlled trial, it was found that high carbohydrates and low glycemic load diet can optimize lipid profile compared to all other diets.

Analysis is another approach to the issue that focuses on the effects on insulin resistance. There are evidences that suggest the risk of heart diseases rises due to the body’s increased resistance to its own insulin. A certain study have shown that a diet based on glycemic index and load such as the low-GI diet against a high-GI diet can help improve the body’s insulin sensitivity, particularly in women who are at risk to heart diseases. The same results were obtain from a group of people suffering from severe heart diseases and a group of healthy people using a diet based on the glycemic index and load.

On the other hand, basing your diet on the glycemic index and load to be able to lose weight does not seem to be very impressive yet. The theoretical foundation was found to be weak and it appears to be using the wrong technique of ranking foods based on its effects on insulin. However, there are no evidences as well that a low-GI diet may cause harm and so if you think you are really losing weight through it, then you can just stick to it.