What Is The Glycemic Index?
Developed by Dr. David Jenkins and friends in 1981 at the University of Toronto, the Glycemic Index is a ranking system of carbohydrates based on how they affect blood glucose levels. The higher the index, the faster carbs break down during digestion. The lower glycemic indexed foods are those that have carbohydrates that digest and break down slower. This is important because they believe that carbs with a lower glycemic index will digest more slowly and thus slow down the absorption of sugars and starges into the blood. This is thought to help manage the body’s demand for insulin and better blood glucose control.
So, how is it technically measured? When you eat, you can measure a blood glucose response curve. What happens is the test subject consumes 50 grams of carbs, then the area underneath the two hour blood glucose response curve is measured. That value is then indexed to a standard (divided by it) and then multiplied by 100. So, the greater the area underneath, the higher the index because more of the glucose is released.
