Of particular importance in the development of many disorders of health and diseases is the so-called visceral fat tissue. Obesity initiates such diseases as: diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorders, spine diseases and many more.
Glycemic index (IG) - ranks food according to a very important characteristic for all slimming people (and diabetics!) - how quickly after their consumption increases the blood sugar level - glucose. The constant excess of this sugar threatens obesity and health complications at the forefront of diabetes. The index is also called the glycemic index.*
Why was the glycemic index (IG) created?
Knowledge of IG consumed products is very useful in rational planning of carbohydrate intake, which provide the main fuel for the body - glucose.
What gives slimming people knowledge of this indicator?
For people who care about the figure - knowledge of IG is crucial because it allows you to control meals in terms of the amount and speed of obtaining glucose. The amount and rate of obtaining this sugar is very important. When the amount of glucose in the blood is too low - we gradually lose muscle strength, the energy-consuming brain is worse, etc. Conversely, when the blood glucose is too much - metabolic processes favoring weight gain are activated.
High and low IG foods
Food products containing carbohydrates differ widely in their bioavailability and absorption rate. The glycemic index informs about these differences. And so food, whose carbohydrates are quickly digested and assimilated, quickly and for a short period of time increase blood glucose levels - they have a high glycemic index. Products with a low glycemic index are those from which glucose is released and absorbed slowly in the digestive process and increase blood glucose levels not too strongly and for a long time.
The low IG index promotes slimming
Low GI food promotes weight loss. From such food glucose slowly releases and absorbs in the process of digestion. Gradually, blood glucose is increased not too strongly and for a longer time. We feel satiated for a longer time (that is, less eat), because food is digested slowly. The feeling of satiety is also supported by metabolic processes occurring after eating in the body.
Why a high IG promotes overweight?
After eating a meal containing carbohydrates with a high IG index, which are quickly digested and absorbed into the body, the level of glucose in the blood is very high. The response of the body to a powerful supply of sugar is a large discharge of insulin - the pancreatic hormone, which helps penetrate glucose into the cells of the body, where it is burned. This large amount of hormone lowers blood sugar rapidly, often below the baseline (hypoglycaemia!). In addition, the presence of insulin inhibits the fat burning process, and even promotes its storage in the body cells after a meal. The decrease in the blood sugar level resulting from the action of insulin causes, in turn, the feeling of hunger again, which most often satisfies the next products with a high GI - and so the circle closes. We do not burn fat, we have fluctuations in glucose levels, i.e. attacks of hunger and overeating - TYY.
Eating foods with a low glycemic index prevents these negative metabolic processes and thus promotes weight loss.
For the simple division of carbohydrate-containing foods - according to the glycemic index (IG) - three thresholds have been proposed (for glucose used as a reference product):
■ LOW - IG <50
■ MEDIUM - IG 50-75
■ HIGH - IG> 75
It is worth emphasizing at the end that the glycemic index eliminates the current theory according to which carbohydrates consumed (sugars, starch, etc.) - divided into:
- simple sugars absorbed by the body
- slower digested and absorbed so-called complex carbohydrates.
This new evaluation system - much better than the current theories characterizes foods containing carbohydrates, in terms of the rate of their conversion into glucose in the human body.
(It was introduced in 1981 by Canadian scientist David Jenkins.)
But be careful! The glycemic index only applies to foods that contain a significant amount of carbohydrates. Foods high in fat and protein have little influence on blood sugar levels.
