Glyciemic Index on Carbonhyrdrates

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The Glycemic Index was proposed by David. J.A. Jenkins in 1981 and suggested that carbohydrate exchange may not reflect the true physiological effect of foods on postprandial serum glucose rise. He proposed that different factors such as dietary fiber and the nature of the carbohydrate have been shown to have an effect on postprandial serum glucose, and that the carbohydrate exchange list may not be the gold standard for diabetics.
In the study performed by Jenkins et. al., healthy fasting volunteers were fed 62 commonly eaten foods and sugars, and serum glucose levels were measured over a 2 hour period by finger prick at intervals of 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. The glycemic index for these foods was determined as a mean percentage of the glucose tolerance test value. The results of this research was that great differences were seen in the rising of serum glucose from different carbohydrate sources, and the indication that the carbohydrate exchange does not produce such a physiological response. No significant relationship was seen between dietary fiber and glycemic index, or sugar content and serum glucose response.
At the time of this article’s publication, there were very few studies performed comparing the effects of different foods on serum glucose. This research was one of two studies using a sufficient number of foods to allow for comparison, and Jenkins et. al. states that the results correlated significantly with the 10 foods used in both studies. This study was one of the earliest demonstrating that 50g of carbohydrate portions is the appropriate amount for the applicable research of glycemic response. When greater than 50g of carbohydrates was consumed, the increase in glycemic index was smaller than expecte...

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...to determine GI without estimation. For example, over 30 pounds of broccoli would need to be consumed to ingest the minimum 50g. As previously mentioned, the GI can vary depending on cooking time, cooking method, storage, and ripeness.
Since the publishing of the 1981 Jenkins article, research on the GI has grown exponentially, and it has become recognized as a commercial weight loss diet. The GI is not yet recognized by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as an acceptable alternative to carbohydrate counting for diabetics. Currently, the ADA states that carbohydrate counting is the first tool for managing blood glucose, but using the GI may be helpful for achieving blood glucose goals when combined with carbohydrate counting (Association). More research is also needed to continue to assess the relationship of GI to diabetes, CHD, cancer, and weight management.

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