May 2006
Carbohydrates & Blood Sugar, part II
What are Carbohydrates? ... last month's conclusion
The new system for classifying carbohydrates calls into question many of the old assumptions about how carbohydrates affect health. This new system, known as the glycemic index, measures how fast and how far blood sugar rises after you eat a food that contains carbohydrates. White bread, for example, is converted almost immediately to blood sugar, causing blood suger to rise rapidly. It's classified as having a high glycemic index. A comprehensive database about the glycemic index of specific foods is available at http://www.glycemicindex.com/
How Food adds up to Glycemic Index
Several factors influence how quickly the carbohydrates in food raise blood sugar. These include:
- Fiber content. Fiber shields the starchy carbohydrates in food from immediate and rapid attack by digestive enzymes. This slows the release of sugar molecules into the bloodstream.
- Ripeness. Ripe fruits and vegetables tend to have more sugar than unripe ones, and so they have a higher glycemic index.
- Type of starch. Starch comes in many different configurations. Some are easier to break into sugar molecules than others. The starch in potatoes, for example, is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.
- Fat content and acid content. The more fat or acid a food contains, the slower its carbohydrates are converted to sugar and absorbed into the bloodstream.
- Physical form. Finely ground grain is more rapidly digested, and so has a higher glycemic index, than more coarsely ground grain.
This is not intended as medical advice which should be obtained directly from your doctor.