Glycemic index

Hello, have you encountered instances where the GI value is listed on food packaging? Thank you.

GI values are not used in the food industry because they are highly misleading (= postprandial glycemia values after consuming the same food differ for each individual, reflecting metabolic individuality).

Good evening, I would like to ask for an explanation of how chewing reduces the glycemic index. I understand the improvement in nutrient processing, but I am somehow unable to explain the GI. Perhaps a link to study the physiological processes. Thank you.

When we thoroughly and slowly chew and masticate food containing carbohydrates, a smaller portion of sugars is released and absorbed in the mouth due to mechanical breakdown and the time required for enzymatic cleavage of carbohydrates. This leads to the first (mild) increase in blood sugar levels. After the food mass reaches the small intestine, pancreatic enzymes begin to act, resulting in the second (more pronounced) wave of blood glucose increase, with some time delay from the processes occurring in the mouth. Since postprandial glycemia is measured in the time interval of 90-120 minutes after a meal, the slow process of consuming a high-carbohydrate diet is advantageous concerning the rate of blood sugar level increase (glycemia is lower because the values are "averaged") compared to eating in a hurry (in which situation sugar release into the blood occurs only from the small intestine, making the process more abrupt).

Hello,

It is stated that the glycemic index of potatoes can be reduced by cooking them with the skin on and then cooling them. How can the index change, for instance, in waxy types of potatoes? Is this preparation method also suitable from other nutritional perspectives? Thank you.

The principle of changes in the glycemic index value of these foods after cooking and subsequent cooling lies in the content of retrograde starch (the presence of skins is not crucial). The cooking process alters its structure, making it more digestible for the human digestive tract, thereby increasing the GI value. Upon cooling, the starch structure changes again, resulting in a decrease in GI. Considering the fact that each individual's digestive tract, as a metabolic individuality, processes food with different efficiency, it is impossible to determine the exact point difference in terms of unit-level GI parameter evaluation between the two situations. Generally, a range of 15-25 units is mentioned, which is not insignificant... In relation to other nutritional parameters, this food preparation process is not as advantageous, as it prolongs the degree of oxidation, which reduces the content of certain nutrients.

Hello,
I would like to ask for an explanation of how chewing reduces the glycemic index. I understand the improvement in nutrient processing, but I cannot explain the GI. Perhaps a link to study the physiological processes.
Thank you.

From food containing carbohydrates, which we chew and masticate thoroughly and slowly, a smaller portion of sugars is released and absorbed in the mouth due to mechanical breakdown and the time needed for enzymatic cleavage of carbohydrates. This results in an initial (mild) increase in blood sugar levels. After the food mass reaches the small intestine, pancreatic enzymes begin to act, and with a certain delay from the processes occurring in the mouth, a second (more pronounced) wave of blood glucose increase occurs. Since postprandial glycemia is measured within a 90-120 minute interval after eating, the slow consumption process of high-carbohydrate meals is advantageous in relation to the rate of blood sugar level increase (glycemia is lower, as the values are "averaged") compared to eating quickly (in such a situation, the release of sugar into the blood occurs only from the small intestine, making the process more abrupt).