Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load

[AnnSebastian]

I’m only a recent ‘contributor’ to this forum. Concepts of ‘Glycemic Index’ and ‘Glycemic Load’ seem to be quite popular in relation to Diabetes- in particular to T2 in online discussions about Diabetes and diet. I haven’t seen either mentioned much on this forum. I was just wondering why? Am I missing something?

 

[Robin]

I’m only a recent ‘contributor’ to this forum. Concepts of ‘Glycemic Index’ and ‘Glycemic Load’ seem to be quite popular in relation to Diabetes- in particular to T2 in online discussions about Diabetes and diet. I haven’t seen either mentioned much on this forum. I was just wondering why? Am I missing something?

There are plenty of references on here if you type it into the search box, I’ve certainly read discussions from time to time. Like this one,

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/low-gi-diet.95875/#post-1104735

There is also a current discussion going on here about the weight loss effect, or not. Ah, having looked it up I see you’ve posted on it already.

 

[AnnSebastian]

There are plenty of references on here if you type it into the search box, I’ve certainly read discussions from time to time. Like this one,

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/low-gi-diet.95875/#post-1104735

There is also a current discussion going on here about the weight loss effect, or not. Ah, having looked it up I see you’ve posted on it already.

Yes. Thank you. I saw it. And as you say, it was a generic perspectives on weight loss rather than the specific relationship between diet, carbohydrate intake, and the onset of diabetes. Specifically T2 diabetes.

 

[rebrascora]

The reason it doesn't feature significantly on this forum is that we recognize that responses to different types of carbohydrates is highly individual, so the fact that something is listed as low GI gives you an indication that your body might digest it more slowly than something High GI but there is no guarantee and if you eat that food with something else, the other foods can have an impact on how quickly or slowly it digests. Most people don't eat just one particular food item as a meal.
As an example, porridge is supposed to be low GI and slow release but my Libre shows that it gets from my mouth to the interstitial fluid in my arm in 20 mins and is gone by 75 mins. Even if I have it made with best jumbo oats rather than more finely processed ReadyBrek and served with cream to try to slow the digestive process.

We are all different with varied metabolisms and gut biomes and testing is the only sure way to find which foods hit your blood stream quickly and which are slower and give you less of a spike. So rather than rely on an index which was I believe compiled by testing 100people, who may or may not be similar to you or me in how they digest things, it makes far more sense to test your own reaction to foods and see how your particular body responds.

 

[AnnSebastian]

The reason it doesn't feature significantly on this forum is that we recognize that responses to different types of carbohydrates is highly individual, so the fact that something is listed as low GI gives you an indication that your body might digest it more slowly than something High GI but there is no guarantee and if you eat that food with something else, the other foods can have an impact on how quickly or slowly it digests. Most people don't eat just one particular food item as a meal.
As an example, porridge is supposed to be low GI and slow release but my Libre shows that it gets from my mouth to the interstitial fluid in my arm in 20 mins and is gone by 75 mins. Even if I have it made with best jumbo oats rather than more finely processed ReadyBrek and served with cream to try to slow the digestive process.

We are all different with varied metabolisms and gut biomes and testing is the only sure way to find which foods hit your blood stream quickly and which are slower and give you less of a spike. So rather than rely on an index which was I believe compiled by testing 100people, who may or may not be similar to you or me in how they digest things, it makes far more sense to test your own reaction to foods and see how your particular body responds.

And Glycemic Load ? So do I need to understand that ‘the forum’ offers’ its ‘ own specific perspective’ on issues around ‘scientific research’

 

[rebrascora]

And Glycemic Load ? So do I need to understand that ‘the forum’ offers’ its ‘ own specific perspective’ on issues around ‘scientific research’

Since Glycemic load is based on GI then the same applies and we just encourage people to do the experimentation or "scientific research" on themselves because they only need to know how they respond as an individual.... I am surprised you query that since you are such an advocate of the Freestyle Libre which is pretty much the optimum way of showing people how their particular body responds.

GI still gets mentioned on the forum but people need to be aware that it is a generalization of responses from a fairly limited sample number to particular foods and may not specifically apply in the same way to them as an individual.

 

[Leadinglights]

If you want a definition:
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the blood glucose-raising potential of the carbohydrate content of a food compared to a reference food (generally pure glucose). Carbohydrate-containing foods can be classified as high- (≥70), moderate- (56-69), or low-GI (≤55) relative to pure glucose (GI=100).
Consumption of high-GI foods causes a sharp increase in postprandial blood glucose concentration that declines rapidly, whereas consumption of low-GI foods results in a lower blood glucose concentration that declines gradually.

From which I glean, it how quickly or slowly the same amount of carbohydrate is digested so would make blood glucose levels more even.
The glycemic load (GL) is obtained by multiplying the quality of carbohydrate in a given food (GI) by the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of that food.
As @rebrascora says people respond to carbohydrates differently. I was surprised that Anthony Worrell Thompson in his GI diet book said that you can convert a meal with high GI foods into low GI by adding healthy fats.

 

[AnnSebastian]

And Glycemic Load ? So do I need to understand that ‘the forum’ offers’ its ‘ own specific perspective’ on issues around ‘scientific research’

Agree completely that we’re ‘all different’ in our individual responses - but also, there is a trail of ongoing scientific evidence that reflects the ‘median’ ‘majority’ response as well as the ‘outliers’? GI and GL shouldn’t be dismissed as irrelevant and replaced by the opinion of forceful individuals?

 

[Inka]

And Glycemic Load ? So do I need to understand that ‘the forum’ offers’ its ‘ own specific perspective’ on issues around ‘scientific research’

Glycemic load is usually abbreviated to GL (and glycemic index to GI). So a Search doesn’t bring up all the times it’s been mentioned because GL and GI are too short. There have been numerous discussions about them, and digestion and speed of blood sugar rise, etc. As an example, most discussions about pulses and beans refer to them.

 

[AnnSebastian]

Glycemic load is usually abbreviated to GL (and glycemic index to GI). So a Search doesn’t bring up all the times it’s been mentioned because GL and GI are too short. There have been numerous discussions about them, and digestion and speed of blood sugar rise, etc. As an example, most discussions about pulses and beans refer to them.

 

[Robin]

Yes. Thank you. I saw it. And as you say, it was a generic perspectives on weight loss rather than the specific relationship between diet, carbohydrate intake, and the onset of diabetes. Specifically T2 diabetes.

And the thread I linked to? Was that helpful? I think that the forum tends to cover things that people have wanted to discuss, and if something doesn't come up in the search box, then maybe folk haven’t particularly wanted to know about it in the past. If it’s something that interests you, then starting a discussion of your own is absolutely the right thing to do.

 

[AnnSebastian]

🙂

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Since Glycemic load is based on GI then the same applies and we just encourage people to do the experimentation or "scientific research" on themselves because they only need to know how they respond as an individual.... I am surprised you query that since you are such an advocate of the Freestyle Libre which is pretty much the optimum way of showing people how their particular body responds.

GI still gets mentioned on the forum but people need to be aware that it is a generalization of responses from a fairly limited sample number to particular foods and may not specifically apply in the same way to them as an individual.

I found it generally reliable, and the basic rule of the harder the food to chew, the harder to digest, the lower the peaks would be, seemed to work ok.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

For a meal, you can also eat the carbs last, and the fats and proteins delay the absorption to a fair degree.

 

[Inka]

If you click on the Older Threads button bottom right on page 10 of each of these searches, you’ll bring up even more threads. These are in addition to the ones using GL and GI.

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/search/94826/?q=Glycaemic+load&o=date

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/search/94833/?q=Glycaemic+index&o=date

🙂

Plenty of direct discussion but also implicit discussion in relation to various foods eg wholegrains. There’s also a page about how to use the forum (replying, posting, etc etc) if you’re having difficulty on your phone.

 

[Nick Cliff]

And Glycemic Load ? So do I need to understand that ‘the forum’ offers’ its ‘ own specific perspective’ on issues around ‘scientific research’

Glycemic Load is the quantity of the food you are eating multiplied by its GI. The relevance being that a food with high GI eaten in small quantity may have a lower GL, so a lower impact on blood glucose, than a lower GI food eaten in a larger quantity.

 

[AnnSebastian]

Glycemic Load is the quantity of the food you are eating multiplied by its GI. The relevance being that a food with high GI eaten in small quantity may have a lower GL, so a lower impact on blood glucose, than a lower GI food eaten in a larger quantity.

That’s pretty much my understanding too.

 

[Nick Cliff]

@AnnSebastian I recently invested a lot of time investigating the GI and calculating the GL of foods I eat.
I found the PDF annexes to this article helpful.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...glycemic_load_values_2021_a_systematic_review
I also found this website useful. It's US but most UK foods are on there, or their equivalent.

Encyclopedia of food & nutrition focused on comparison

Evidence-based encyclopedia of food. In-depth, full data on 1000+ common foods based on nutrition and comparison. Visual representation of food through charts

foodstruct.com

As others have said, you're own reaction to the foods may differ from the average responses evidenced in these data.
Good luck with your research.
Nick

 

[AnnSebastian]

R was

That’s pretty much my understanding too.

@Leadinglights
I wasn’t necessarily looking for an alternative definition - just curious about why I hadn’t noticed it.

But since I’ve been checking into this forum I’ve started to notice differences - particularly the difference between people with T1 and T2 dx. I guess I’ll just have to adjust. 🙂

That’s pretty much my understanding too.

R was

That’s pretty much my understanding too.

@Leadinglights
I wasn’t necessarily looking for an alternative definition - just curious about why I hadn’t noticed it.

But since I’ve been checking into this forum I’ve started to notice differences - particularly the difference between people with T1 and T2 dx. I guess I’ll just have to adjust. 🙂

 

[AnnSebastian]

@AnnSebastian I recently invested a lot of time investigating the GI and calculating the GL of foods I eat.
I found the PDF annexes to this article helpful.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...glycemic_load_values_2021_a_systematic_review
I also found this website useful. It's US but most UK foods are on there, or their equivalent.

Encyclopedia of food & nutrition focused on comparison

Evidence-based encyclopedia of food. In-depth, full data on 1000+ common foods based on nutrition and comparison. Visual representation of food through charts

foodstruct.com

As others have said, you're own reaction to the foods may differ from the average responses evidenced in these data.
Good luck with your research.
Nick

Thanks. I’ll save that for reference.