Glycemic Index

[sharp00782]

Hi Guys,

Been a while I am trying to further my understanding of Carb Counting and when/how long to prebolus etc.

I am quite confused. I understand the Glycemic Index is split to "low, medium and high". Low being foods/drinks that take longer to be absorbed and High being foods that break down and get absorbed quickly.

Naturally, I am thinking the higher the food/drink in the scale, the longer I should wait to eat after taking my prebolus so the insulin can start working before the spike gets out of control.

Low, I am thinking I don't need to leave it too long after my injection to eat as the insulin will be working when they finally get digested and broken down.

1st of all, is my logic on the above correct?

Secondly, in the Glycemic Index, apple juice and orange juice is listed in "low", meaning that takes longer to get into the blood stream. I was under the impression that apple and orange juice would raise blood sugars pretty much immediately, hence advisale to have when having a hypo? Let's face it, anyone having a hypo wont treat it with lentils or oats!

If this is the case, my mind has been absolutely blown.

Any help appreciated.

 

[Leadinglights]

Whether something is high, med or low GI isn't a very precise thing as a food can behave differently in different people depending on their individual gut biome but not only that whether that food is eaten in combination with fat or protein can alter the GI of a food.
It was explained quite well in the introduction of Anthony Worrell Thompsons GI diet cook book.

 

[sharp00782]

Whether something is high, med or low GI isn't a very precise thing as a food can behave differently in different people depending on their individual gut biome but not only that whether that food is eaten in combination with fat or protein can alter the GI of a food.
It was explained quite well in the introduction of Anthony Worrell Thompsons GI diet cook book.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, what you say makes sense. But going back to basics briefly, isn't apple and orange juice recommneded for hypos due to it's fast acting nature (going against the GI). Just thinking we cant vary to that extreme surely as that could mean that someone could treat a hypo with carrots for example?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, what you say makes sense. But going back to basics briefly, isn't apple and orange juice recommneded for hypos due to it's fast acting nature (going against the GI). Just thinking we cant vary to that extreme surely as that could mean that someone could treat a hypo with carrots for example?

I think what is important in treating a hypo is using something which will give you enough glucose as easily as possible without needing to drink a large volume but is also a measured amount. That is why people often use jelly babies or glucotabs as they are a specific amount of glucose and you are then not over treating by swigging juice. People do use the little cartons or 150ml cans of full sugar Coke. But a few jelly babies are easier to carry in your pocket rather than a carton or can of juice.

 

[barrym]

Unless I'm mistaken, fruit juice is fructose rather than glucose which is processed differently. I believe that is why a banana is a hypo treatment but an apple is not.

Happy to be corrected!

 

[rebrascora]

I think high GI foods are all fairly easily broken down by most people's digestive system as the sugars are usually very easily released. It is the medium and low GI foods which tend to vary more in their release time from one individual to another. Porridge is one of the prime examples as it is considered low GI and recommended to Type 2 diabetics as a suitable breakfast choice and yet some of us have found that our digestive system finds it is like rocket fuel and hits our blood stream like a steam train whereas other people find it lives up to it's slow release reputation. I have experimented making it with the least processed jumbo oats and minimal cooking and adding cream to try to slow it down, but my digestive system just goes wild on porridge and I gave up eating it because it wasn't worth the aggravation. I now have Greek style yoghurt and a few berries and mixed seeds for breakfast and I can get away with that. Part of it might be down to fast digestion and part of it might be down to insulin resistance, so in the morning I am more insulin resistant but my digestion is very quick, so the combination of slow insulin response and fast digestion leads to a big spike unless I choose lower carb foods. There is a possibility that I could get away with porridge on an evening, but I don't fancy it at 6-7pm and at supper time I would have to bolus for it which means going to bed with active insulin, whereas some cheese and olives at bedtime doesn't need any insulin.

 

[Inka]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, what you say makes sense. But going back to basics briefly, isn't apple and orange juice recommneded for hypos due to it's fast acting nature (going against the GI). Just thinking we cant vary to that extreme surely as that could mean that someone could treat a hypo with carrots for example?

@sharp00782 My DSN doesn’t recommend juice for hypos. I know some people use it but IMO it’s better to have Dextro tablets or full sugar Coke. There are a few reasons for this but one is that it’s not fast enough. Orange juice has a GI of around 48 whereas dextrose is basically 100.

Here’s a quote:

“Dextrose has a glycaemic index (GI) of 100 due to its molecular structure. Whereas sucrose (table sugar) is 65 and fructose is 19 on the GI scale”

Your question about bolusing is basically true but you need to remember that other foods in the meal alter the GL of the overall meal. So, although I try to choose lower GI foods for general health, I don’t bother much about the GL when choosing my bolus time. Only with something like beans and fibrous veg would I maybe change the bolus time (I usually split it).

 

[nonethewiser]

Hi Guys,

Been a while I am trying to further my understanding of Carb Counting and when/how long to prebolus etc.

I am quite confused. I understand the Glycemic Index is split to "low, medium and high". Low being foods/drinks that take longer to be absorbed and High being foods that break down and get absorbed quickly.

Naturally, I am thinking the higher the food/drink in the scale, the longer I should wait to eat after taking my prebolus so the insulin can start working before the spike gets out of control.

Low, I am thinking I don't need to leave it too long after my injection to eat as the insulin will be working when they finally get digested and broken down.

1st of all, is my logic on the above correct?

Secondly, in the Glycemic Index, apple juice and orange juice is listed in "low", meaning that takes longer to get into the blood stream. I was under the impression that apple and orange juice would raise blood sugars pretty much immediately, hence advisale to have when having a hypo? Let's face it, anyone having a hypo wont treat it with lentils or oats!

If this is the case, my mind has been absolutely blown.

Any help appreciated.

You've got it right that's how I approach some meals depending on GI of ingredients.

Find any apple & orange juice acts fast in my body so don't agree with that part.

 

[JJay]

@sharp00782 My DSN doesn’t recommend juice for hypos. I know some people use it but IMO it’s better to have Dextro tablets or full sugar Coke. There are a few reasons for this but one is that it’s not fast enough. Orange juice has a GI of around 48 whereas dextrose is basically 100.

Here’s a quote:

“Dextrose has a glycaemic index (GI) of 100 due to its molecular structure. Whereas sucrose (table sugar) is 65 and fructose is 19 on the GI scale”

Interesting that my meter app (Contour) suggests “half a glass of fruit juice” or “4 glucose tablets” as first line hypo treatments. Though I prefer JBs or Lift tablets as they are invariably more immediately accessible

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

Was curious as to why juices have such low GI numbers so looked it up.

100ml of orange juice has around 9g of sugars. The average ratio of glucose to fructose to sucrose is 1:1:2, so:

Glucose - 2.25g
Fructose - 2.25g
Sucrose - 4.5g

The glucose component enters the bloodstream directly. The fructose component also enters the bloodstream directly but must be metabolised by the liver and (according to wikipedia) 29% to 54% of it is converted to glucose (which presumably takes a while). Sucrose is broken down by digestive enzymes into glucose and fructose. It does not enter the bloodstream until it has first been converted by one of those enzymes, and so digestion of the total sucrose amount may again take a while depending on how quickly the sucrose is exposed to the enzymes.