About this Resource
The carbohydrate we eat gets broken down into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of how much a food raises your blood glucose levels. Glycaemic load (GL) additionally factors in standard portion size, meaning that it may give a more accurate picture of how a particular food will impact blood sugar levels as it is normally consumed.
Grounded in the Research
First developed by Jenkins et al., the glycemic index (GI) of a food represents the effect on postprandial blood glucose concentrations that the carbohydrate portion of a food has compared with glucose or white bread. The glycemic load calculates the amount that the whole food raises blood glucose postprandially.
Excerpt from: Zafar, M. I., Mills, K. E., Zheng, J., Regmi, A., Hu, S. Q., Gou, L., & Chen, L. L. (2019). Low-glycemic index diets as an intervention for diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 110(4), 891-902.
References
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[2] Jenkins, D. J., Wolever, T. M., Taylor, R. H., Barker, H., Fielden, H., Baldwin, J. M., … & Goff, D. V. (1981). Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34(3), 362-366. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/34.3.362
[3] The University of Sydney. (2024, May 20). Glycemic Index. https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/
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[7] Brand, J. C., Nicholson, P. L., Thorburn, A. W., & Truswell, A. S. (1985). Food processing and the glycemic index. The American journal of Clinical Nutrition, 42(6), 1192-1196. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/42.6.1192
[8] Willett, W., Manson, J., & Liu, S. (2002). Glycemic index, glycemic load, and risk of type 2 diabetes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 76(1), 274S-280S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/76.1.274S