Glycemic load

The glycemic load ( abbreviation GL , English glycemic load , symbol ) is an extension of the glycemic index (sometimes also called Glyx). ${\ displaystyle n _ {\ mathrm {GL}}}$

Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index (GI for short) provides information about the effects of food on blood sugar levels. The glycemic index of a food is determined by determining the blood sugar reaction to the consumption of 50 g of carbohydrates from this food. This value is related to the blood sugar reaction to 50 g glucose (grape sugar) .

The difficulty is that the reaction to 50 g of a food is not measured here, but to 50 g of carbohydrates in this food. A conversion to a defined weight of the food is not possible without knowing the percentage of carbohydrates. The value of the glycemic index is often of little help in everyday life. In the opinion of the critics, in addition to the glycemic index, the total amount of carbohydrates consumed must also be taken into account.

Comparison of carrots (carrots) and baguette

example

The glycemic index of cooked carrots is around 70 . Since carrots have a low carbohydrate density, around 700 grams of carrots must be consumed to get 50 g of carbohydrates. ${\ displaystyle n _ {\ mathrm {GI}}}$ ${\ displaystyle \ rho _ {\ mathrm {KH}}}$

This is different with foods with a high carbohydrate density. Baguette also has a glycemic index of 70. 100 grams of baguette provide 48 grams of carbohydrates. It is therefore sufficient to take 104 g of baguette to get the same amount of 50 g of carbohydrates.

Based on a glycemic index of 70, the mathematically correct statement is:

"Ingesting 104 g of baguette leads to the same blood sugar reaction as ingesting 700 g of cooked carrots."

The Glycemic Load

Taking into account the amount of carbohydrates, the so-called glycemic load results from the glycemic index . It also takes into account the carbohydrate density of the individual foods for the respective GI value : ${\ displaystyle n _ {\ mathrm {GI}}}$ ${\ displaystyle n _ {\ mathrm {GL}}}$ ${\ displaystyle \ rho _ {\ mathrm {KH}}}$

{\ displaystyle n _ {\ mathrm {GL}} = n _ {\ mathrm {GI}} \ cdot \ rho _ {KH}}

example

The following applies to cooked carrots:

{\ displaystyle n _ {\ text {GL, carrots}} = n _ {\ mathrm {GI}} \ cdot \ rho _ {\ mathrm {KH}} = 70 \ cdot {\ frac {7 {,} 1 \, \ mathrm {g}} {100 \, \ mathrm {g}}} \ approx 5 {,} 0}

The following applies to baguettes:

{\ displaystyle n _ {\ text {GL, Baguette}} = n _ {\ mathrm {GI}} \ cdot \ rho _ {\ mathrm {KH}} = 70 \ cdot {\ frac {48 \, \ mathrm {g} } {100 \, \ mathrm {g}}} \ approx 33 {,} 6}

Conclusion: The blood sugar effect of 100 g baguette is (despite the identical glycemic index) more than six and a half times as great as that of 100 g cooked carrots.

When making comparisons, make sure that

that foods can have different compositions and this does not necessarily have to be equal to a "standard value " or mean value , table values are therefore only guidelines,

that different heating processes influence the water content, for example cooking floating in water or stored in steam compared to grilling or cooking in a microwave oven . If the water content increases as a result of the boiling process, the proportionate content of other ingredients automatically decreases. The expression “cooked carrots” without specifying the type of preparation is therefore relatively imprecise and carries the risk of misinterpretation of the measured values by laypeople.

Glucose equivalence

The glycemic load is the measure of the glucose equivalence .

example: 100 grams of a food with a glycemic load of 34 (baguette) cause the same increase in blood sugar as 34 g of pure glucose (grape sugar) .

Effect of other foods on glycemic index and glycemic load

The actual blood sugar reaction depends - in addition to the food and its preparation - to a large extent on which foods are consumed in combination. Some foods are known to lower blood sugar ( e.g. bran , grapefruit , cinnamon ). Dietary fiber increases the length of time that food stays in the stomach and intestines and slows down the absorption of carbohydrates. The effect of the fat content of a food on the blood sugar effect also plays an important role.

Use of GL

Foods with a low glycemic load (GL) are used to keep blood sugar and therefore insulin levels at a low and steady level. The GL is used in the following diets :

Web links

Detailed table of glycemic load, glycemic index and carbohydrate content of different foods