After talking a bit the other week about what a ketogenic diet is, opening the door to a pretty interesting discussion with some patients about the body's use of sugar, I thought this week it would be worth explaining about glycaemic responses.
Basically, a glycaemic response is an increase in blood glucose levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates. When we digest our food, the carbohydrates in the food break down and become glucose, which passes from the digestive tract into the bloodstream.
The glucose now present in the blood causes the secretion of insulin from the pancreas - in the amount needed to get the glucose from the blood into the cells in the body, where it is used to generate energy.
This process - a glycaemic response - begins as soon as the food starts to be broken down, and then, usually about two hours after the meal, the glucose concentration drops back to a fasting level after being absorbed into the various tissue cells. The normal range of blood glucose levels during fasting is 70-100 mg per 100 cc.
A strong response is when the blood glucose concentration rises rapidly and to a high level, while a weak response is when the blood glucose concentration rises slowly and to a relatively low level. A low glycaemic response means lower insulin secretion and better control of blood sugar levels over time.
In the past, the common assumption was that simple sugars cause a stronger glycaemic response than complex sugars, but the truth is that a glycaemic response depends on many factors, including:
Type of carbohydrate
Processing of the food
Ripeness
Dietary combinations
Differences between people
So a glycaemic response is an increase in blood sugar after eating. What is the glycaemic index?
Every food that contains carbohydrates is examined by the glycaemic index according to how fast it raises our blood glucose levels while it is being digested, compared to consuming the same amount of pure glucose. For the purpose of creating the index, pure glucose is determined to have a glycaemic index of 100. When a person is given a certain amount of pure glucose and the blood glucose level is checked every half hour for two hours, a glycaemic response curve is obtained which is considered to be 100%.
When the glycaemic index is high, food is digested quickly and raises the blood glucose level quickly and to a large degree, and the body is forced to secrete a lot of insulin to lower the sugar level. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, which have a low glycaemic index, release glucose into the bloodstream gradually.
This is important because while we do need carbohydrates for energy, we need "the right kind" of carbohydrates.
The carbohydrates we need are those with a low glycaemic index, which encourage slow and moderate insulin secretion. These carbohydrates contribute to a longer feeling of satiation.
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