Multivitamins and Nutrition

How foods affect blood sugar levels in the blood.

The old myth that a sugary snack will cause a dramatic rise and then a fall in levels of blood sugar has been overturned as research findings on the physiological effects of food on blood sugar levels. Have devised new ways to measure the reaction of sugar in the blood to various foods has provided insights into the prevention and control of conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and has revolutionized diets in the world sport, as it allows to know which foods are eaten in the hours before exercise.

The Glycemic Index (GI)

The glycemic index (GI) is to assess or measure the effects of food on blood sugar levels. When you eat foods rich in carbohydrates is an increase and subsequent decrease, the level of blood sugar (glucose), which is known as the glycemic response. After classified the glycemic response of the body to the intake of various foods that contain carbohydrates can be produced compared to the response regarding the effect of a standard food, like white bread or glucose. The This measure resulting from this comparison is called the glycemic index.

Score on a scale of 1 to 100 indicating the increased levels of blood sugar after eating a serving of food containing 50g of carbohydrate. One serving of 50g of pure glucose is the standard currently used as a basis for comparison. Foods that break down quickly during digestion, such as rice, have the highest glycemic indices. They raise blood sugar levels higher and faster than foods with low GI. The latter, among which are the beans, break down more slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream.

There are many factors that influence the degree and duration of the glycemic response. The reaction depends, for example, the type of sugar in food (whether it is sucrose, ordinary sugar, lactose, fructose, glucose or other sugar) and the nature and form of starch (some are more digestible than others). Other aspects that influence the response are the form of cooking, processing methods used and the amount of other nutrients such as fat and protein, which contains the food. Moreover, not all people have the same metabolism and the time of day when carbohydrates are eaten can also affect the glycemic response.

Surprises around IG

The discovery of the glycemic index led to a series of surprises. Originally it was believed that foods with complex carbohydrates such as bread, rice and potatoes, are digested slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar levels. But now we know that many starchy foods are digested and absorbed very quickly. They are high GI foods. By contrast, moderate amounts of many sweet foods (rich in sucrose), such as confectionery, produce large increases in the level of blood sugar, as had always been believed. In fact, foods that contain sucrose cause a moderate glycemic response to small, less than that foods like rice.

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