|
...
3. GI values should not be solely used to inform diet, but as useful additional information to support the choices people with diabetes make about the type and amount of food they eat.
Key words
- Glycaemic index
- Diet
- Glycaemic load
Many people with diabetes have been advised to adopt a low glycaemic index (GI) diet in order to improve blood glucose levels, increase insulin sensitivity, reduce CV risk and promote weight loss. There is much confusion about which foods are low GI and which are high GI, and this consfusion is exacerbated by disagreement among experts about the relative usefulness of low GI diets for people with diabetes. This article aims to define the term glycaemic index, give examples of high and low GI foods and discuss the evidence-based advantages and disadvantages of low-GI diets.
Glycaemic index (GI) is measured in the laboratory using a standard procedure. Foods containing 50g of carbohydrate are given to fasting volunteers and blood samples are taken every 15 minutes for 2-3 hours in order to measure blood glucose levels. As an example, three mediumlarge apples contain approximately 50g of carbohydrate, as do three chocolate digestive biscuits or one medium-sized baked potato. The results of the blood glucose tests are plotted on a graph over time and compared with a reference sample, usually pure glucose. The GI of each food is expressed as a number, and the lower the number, the lower the GI of the food. It is important to remember that the GI of a food can only be measured in the laboratory--it is impossible to accurately estimate GI any other way.
What does the GI value mean?
The GI value of each food can be categorised as low, medium or high (Foster-Powell et al, 2002; illustrated in Table 1). Examples of commonly eaten low-, medium- and high-GI foods are listed in Table 2.
Practical applications of low-GI diets
Applying the laboratory-measured GI values to the food that people with diabetes actually eat can be confusing, and many books and articles have been published in an attempt to translate the theory into practice. A useful web-site (www.glycemicindex.com) summarises the practical recommendations as follows.
* Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran.
* Use breads with wholegrains, stone-ground flour, sour dough or rye.
* Reduce the amount of potatoes eaten.
* Use all other types of fruit and vegetables.
* Use basmati or doongara rice.
* Use pasta, noodles, quinoa, sweet potatoes and yams.
* Eat plenty of salad and vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing.
Proposed benefits of low-GI diets
Many studies have investigated the benefits of low-GI diets in people with and without diabetes. The health benefits examined include the following.
* Weight loss and weight maintenance (Thomas et al, 2007).
* Increased...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
More articles from Journal of Diabetes Nursing
Risk communication in type 2 diabetes., May 01, 2008
Providing diabetes care and support to students in higher education., May 01, 2008
CSII therapy in pregnancies complicated by type 1 diabetes: a review.(..., May 01, 2008
Changing diabetes by improving control: barriers to progress., May 01, 2008
Initiating basal insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes: the evidence base..., May 01, 2008
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
