The Significance Of The Glycemic Load Concept On Blood Sugar Levels


by Jimmy Noble McDowell


The glycemic load can be described as a figure that will give an estimation of the change in blood sugar levels after consuming a certain food. One unit of this measure explains the effect of utilizing a gram of glucose. It is a basis of the glycemic index. The measure gives an account of a gram of carbohydrate eaten and the extent to which blood sugar will rise.

In 1981 Dr Thomas Wolever and Dr David Jenkins founded the index. They defined it as the rate at which a food containing twenty five or fifty grams of carbohydrate changes the glucose levels in the blood. The load measure accounts for the amount of carbohydrate in a serving. Researchers decided to make use of it since quite a number of foods are low in carbohydrates

The figure or estimate gives an approximate effect of carbohydrate consumed using glycemic index which gives a total of the carbohydrate eaten. The index is distinct for every type of diet while for the load estimate it measures the total amount of carbohydrate. For example, the melon fruit does not have much carbohydrate but has a high index and therefore its load estimate is down.

For every portion of a meal, a measure which is larger than twenty is regarded as high, between eleven and nineteen is taken to be medium and below ten is said to be low. Researchers have insisted on the importance of using the estimate as a starting point for weight loosing programs.

The index evaluates the possibility of foods having an equal quantity of carbohydrate to raise blood sugar. On the other hand, the quantity of carbohydrate ingested also impacts on the insulin reactions. The estimate is calculated by multiplying the index by the carbohydrate in grams and dividing the result by a hundred.

Eating high index meals causes a rapid rise in blood glucose thus people consuming such diets experience a quick change in their moods and mental energy. Such body responses are associated with high index meals and low index meals.

When the blood glucose levels are kept constant, the body will function very well. As soon as blood sugar rises beyond normal levels, the brain sends an impulse to the pancreas to produce insulin that regulates the sugar, it does this first by converting the excess sugar into fat. Once the sugar drops too low, the body tends to get tired. However if the pancreas produces too much insulin it is dangerous since it leads to very low blood glucose levels.

The most important purpose of the index is to decrease problems likely to be associated with blood sugar. This is done by identifying the various diets that cause a rise in the sugar levels and keeping away from them. However a rise in the glucose levels may be extremely necessary especially for a non-diabetic person for example after carrying out such strenuous activities like games. Therefore a high glycemic load is important.




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