Insulin Index
The Insulin Index of a food represents how much it elevates the concentration of insulin in the blood during the two-hour period after the food is ingested. The index is similar to the Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL), but rather than relying on blood glucose levels, the Insulin Index is based upon blood insulin levels. The Insulin Index represents a comparison of food portions with equal overall caloric content (250 kcal or 1000 kJ), while GI represents a comparison of portions with equal digestible carbohydrate content (typically 50 g) and the GL represents portions of a typical serving size for various foods. The Insulin Index can be more useful than either the Glycemic Index or the Glycemic Load because certain foods (e.g., lean meats and proteins) cause an insulin response despite there being no carbohydrates present, and some foods cause a disproportionate insulin response relative to their carbohydrate load. Holt et al.[1] have noted that the glucose and insulin scores of most foods are highly correlated,[2] but high-protein foods and bakery products that are rich in fat and refined carbohydrates "elicit insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses." They also conclude that insulin indices may be useful for dietary management and avoidance of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. Explanation of Index[edit] The Insulin Index is not the same as a glycemic index (GI), which is based exclusively on the digestible carbohydrate content of a food, and represents a comparison of foods in amounts with equal digestible carbohydrate content (typically 50 g). The insulin index compares foods in amounts with equal overall caloric content (250 kcal or 1000 kJ). Insulin indexes are scaled relative to white b Continue reading >>
- Why the Glycemic Index Fails for Many People with Diabetes
- The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Relative effectiveness of insulin pump treatment over multiple daily injections and structured education during flexible intensive insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes: cluster randomised trial (REPOSE)
Glycemic Load - An Overview | Sciencedirect Topics
The glycemic load is a function of the carbohydrate intake and its glycemic index, as it estimates how much a food raises a persons blood glucose level following its consumption.59 The glycemic load is a better measure of the impact of carbohydrate consumption. It takes the glycemic index into account, but provides a fuller picture than the index alone (Murakami et al., 2007). Glycemic load indicates how rapidly a specific carbohydrate food raises blood sugar and factors in the actual amount of the particular carbohydrate being consumed (see Figure 1.4 for an ideal glycemic response to a low glycemic load meal that includes 100% whey). This is evident since the experimental meal was 2.5 times the basic carbohydrate load and still showed a small change in blood glucose. The contrast with the blood glucose change with 50g carbohydrate (bread + jam) was dramatic. This chapter focuses on cellular metabolic acidosis and glycemic load as key clinical aspects of the Alkaline Way. Immune tolerance and delayed allergies are also discussed. Zumin Shi, ... Gary A. Wittert, in Wheat and Rice in Disease Prevention and Health , 2014 According to the International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values, white rice has a relatively higher GI than brown rice, wheat, and barley.36 GI values of white rice have a large range (from 40 to 100), and depend on where the rice is grown and how it is cooked. White rice is the main contributor to dietary GL in many Asian populations with rice as staple foods. High GI and GL are found to be related to increased risk of hyperglycemia.36 A high GI or high GL diet is also related to elevation of plasma TG and lowered HDL levels.43,44 In Japan, both dietary GI and GL are independently correlated with several metabolic risk factors Continue reading >>
Glycemic Index And Glycemic Load
Contents Summary The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the blood glucose-raising potential of the carbohydrate content of a food compared to a reference food (generally pure glucose). Carbohydrate-containing foods can be classified as high- (≥70), moderate- (56-69), or low-GI (≤55) relative to pure glucose (GI=100). (More information) Consumption of high-GI foods causes a sharp increase in postprandial blood glucose concentration that declines rapidly, whereas consumption of low-GI foods results in a lower blood glucose concentration that declines gradually. (More information) The glycemic load (GL) is obtained by multiplying the quality of carbohydrate in a given food (GI) by the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of that food. (More information) Prospective cohort studies found high-GI or -GL diets to be associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. (More information) Meta-analyses of observational studies have found little-to-no evidence of an association between high dietary GI and GL and risk of cancer. (More information) Lowering the GL of the diet may be an effective method to improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This approach is not currently included in the overall strategy of diabetes management in the US. (More information) Several dietary intervention studies found that low-GI/GL diets were as effective as conventional, low-fat diets in reducing body weight. Both types of diets resulted in beneficial effects on metabolic markers associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. (More information) Lowering dietary GL can be achieved by increasing the consumption of whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruit, and non-starch Continue reading >>
Dietary Insulin Index And Insulin Load In Relation To Biomarkers Of Glycemic Control, Plasma Lipids, And Inflammation Markers.
Dietary glycemic index and load are widely used to estimate the effect of carbohydrate-containing foods on postprandial blood glucose concentrations and as surrogates for insulin response. The food insulin index (II) directly quantifies the postprandial insulin secretion of a food and takes into account foods with a low or no carbohydrate content.We investigated the average dietary II and insulin load (IL) in relation to biomarkers of glycemic control, plasma lipids, and inflammation markers.In a cross-sectional setting and with the use of data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, we measured plasma concentrations of C-peptide, glycated hemoglobin (Hb A(1c)), HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in fasting blood samples of 4002 healthy men and women. The dietary II and IL were assessed from food-frequency questionnaires by using directly analyzed or published food II data.After multivariate adjustment, participants in the highest quintile of II had 26% higher triglyceride concentrations than did participants in the lowest quintile of II (P for trend < 0.0001). This association was strongest in obese [body mass index (in kg/m(2)) 30] participants (difference between highest and lowest quintiles in the II: 72%; P for trend = 0.01). Dietary II was inversely associated with HDL cholesterol in obese participants (difference: -18%; P for trend = 0.03). Similar associations were seen for the IL. Dietary II and IL were not significantly associated with plasma C-peptide, Hb A(1c), LDL cholesterol, CRP, or IL-6.Dietary II and IL were not associated with fasting biomarkers of glycemic control but may be physiologically relevant to plasma lipids, especially in obese individuals. Continue reading >>
How To Use The Glycemic Index (gi) And Glycemic Load (gl)
The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods numerically according to their potential to increase levels of both blood sugar (glucose) and insulin. It measures how rapidly a set amount (50 grams) of a certain food is converted into glucose when compared to 50 grams of white bread, which has a GI of 100. Following the GI can help you keep blood sugar from spiking too quickly and overloading your cells with glucose. Over time, maintaining well-balanced blood sugar can prevent and/or reverse insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a problem that can lead directly to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Generally foods fall into these categories: GI of 55 or less is considered low-glycemic. GI of 56–69 is considered moderate. GI of 70 or above is high-glycemic. Our abbreviated glycemic index chart below will help you get an idea of how foods are categorized. Using the glycemic index can guide you to make good food choices that will help keep your insulin levels steady. Glycemic index versus glycemic load The GI of a single food can vary depending on how it was grown, processed or prepared (see GI table below). In addition, because we’re all unique, our bodies respond to foods differently according to our metabolic make-up, when and how much we eat, and how we combine our foods. Plus there are inconsistencies in how the glycemic index is calculated. Since the glycemic index is based on such a small quantity of food (50 grams) — less than the amount you’d typically eat — some experts say it understates the impact high-carb foods have on your blood sugar, while overstating the impact of low-carb foods. That’s why some nutritionists developed a calculation for glycemic load (GL) that measures the impact a food has on your blood sugar. It may be easier for you to use GL Continue reading >>
Insulin Load The Greatest Thing Since Carb Counting
The concept is similar to carbohydrate counting, but also accounts for the effect of protein. insulin load = total carbohydrates fibre + 0.56xprotein Most people understand that dietary carbohydrate is the primary nutrient that influences blood glucose and insulin. However, while carbohydrate is the dominant nutrientthat influences insulin and blood glucose response, indigestible fiber and glucogenic amino acids (protein)also affect our blood glucose and our insulin response to food. We can better predict the insulin and glucose response to our food if we also account for the effect of protein and indigestible carbohydrates (i.e. fibre). I was pleasedto see Jason Fung even mention the food insulin index and the Optimising Nutrition blog at the recent low carb conference in Vail Colorado . And it hasbeen great to see a handful of people like Patricia and Mike put this theory into practice with great results as detailed in this article. This comment from Patricia Berry Moore made my day. Marty! Are you the low carb down under Marty??! You and Sarah Hallberg are why I started LCHF. And went from a very unhealthy type 2 diabetic at 156 lbs to a very healthy 113 lbs. Patricia had seen my presentation on the food insulin index, applied the theory, and it worked! I find it helps me mess with my macros. A little less protein a bit more carbs. And you can find that sweet spot. For me 50g per day is perfect. My doctor threatened me with insulin and so I started went digging and found your lectures. Over 10 months I lost 43 lbs (Im 52). I was pre-diabetic for ten years and then type 2 diabetic for ten years. I am now off all my meds. I was on eight different ones for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, reflux, diabetes. This is Patricias before photo. You can see a Continue reading >>
Should We Eat Based On Food Indexes?
A short while ago, I did a post on insulin and body fat (Insulin, Body Fat and You). As I pointed out in that post, among insulin’s many roles is that it serves as a pro-storage hormone that promotes the formation of new tissue. Whenever you eat foods that provokes a substantial insulin release from your pancreas, your body is signaled to build either fat, muscle or both. Obviously, the more structured resistance training you follow and the better you time your insulin spikes, the better able you are to use insulin’s mass building effects for muscle growth and not fat. Sadly, the common eating pattern in North America is to eat insulin producing foods without much foresight, which is part of the reason we battle the bulge. Wild swings in insulin also tend to provoke increased hunger, which is not good if you are trying to control intake and by extension, body weight. I think it goes without saying that teaching people how to avoid crazy swings in insulin is a good thing. In the 1980’s, David Jenkins from The University of Toronto, was the first to quantify how quickly food is digested and raises blood sugar. His system became known as the glycemic index (GI). The creation of the glycemic index was a quantum leap forward in highlighting how seemingly similar foods can have wildly different biochemical properties in our bodies. In fact, the GI was such a popular and powerful idea that it spawned an entire series of diet books and programs, books that still can be found in bookstores today. Unfortunately, subsequent research has shown us that are several major problems with basing food choices solely off the glycemic index. One of the major problems is that the glycemic index was derived studying foods in isolation. In reality, we typically eat mix-meals which throws Continue reading >>
Insulin Load Index / Most Ketogenic Foods
Diabetes Forum The Global Diabetes Community Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Join the community Insulin load index / most ketogenic foods This is amazing. We know that GI and GL are unreliable and inconsistent and don't always predict what a food will do to our blood glucose. We know there's more to dose calculation than just carbs or even just carbs and protein. This data looks directly at the insulin response of foods. Starting in 2009, a lot more insulin load data is now available for more foods. This could replace TAG. It's not too much to imagine this replacing carb counting one day for diabetics. Great link @Spiker ! Now that is something that would be very very useful. TAG works well for me, but it's an imperfect " science" although more precise than carb counting. I'm amazed that insulin response hasn't been looked at in depth before this, because it makes sense by far And it totally vindicates my sausage and coleslaw diet (check the scatter graph). There are quite a few surprises in there. Pecans for example at 5% (vs white bread). I've always avoided them because they are a high carb nut. I will try them again now because I love them. Very interesting. Thanks for that. Backs up a lot of what has been said in other forum posts. Pecans high carb ?, according to this only 4 grams net/100 grams. The pecan is a species of hickory native to Mexico and the southcentral and southeastern regions of the United States. "Pecan" is from an Algonquian word meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack. Wikipedia Amount Per 1 oz (19 halves) (28.4 g)1 cup, halves (99 g)100 grams1 cup, chopped (109 g)100 grams *Per cent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. This is amazing. Continue reading >>
Insulin Load – Beyond “counting Carbs”
This is a guest post on insulin load by Michael Alward Insulin Load – An Introduction When I first adopted a low carb eating plan, I remember countless questions on low carb support groups as to how to count the carbs / net carbs of various processed food products (on this particular day, it happened to be a protein bar by Quest Nutrition). The answers ranged from 21g of carbs (from a Type 1 Diabetic who tested his real-time insulin response), to “only 3g net carbs” (21g carbs – 17g fibre – 1g erythritol as provided by Quest). Very confusing, and not terribly helpful… I became increasingly frustrated with the limitations of the grams / net grams approach. When I kept my “carbs” below 25g, my weight dropped. When I kept my “net carbs” below 25g, my weight remained stable. When I kept my “net carbs” below 25g and ate more protein, my weight increased. Simple “carb counting” was not working very well for me. I wondered if there might be a better approach… Beyond “Counting Carbs” I came across a study titled “An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods” by Holt, Miller and Petocz from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Sydney, Australia (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov 1997). The study looked beyond the Glycemic Index (GI) which ranks foods according to the extent to which they raise blood glucose concentrations. The following text really caught my attention: “some of the protein-rich foods…fish, beef, cheese, and eggs still had larger insulin responses per gram than did many of the foods consisting predominately of carbohydrate.” A search for the “Food Insulin Index” lead me to a game changing presentation titled “Managing Insulin to Optimize Nutrition� Continue reading >>
Dietary Insulin Load And Insulin Index Are Associated With The Risk Of Insulin Resistance: A Prospective Approach In Tehran Lipid And Glucose Study
Dietary insulin load and insulin index are associated with the risk of insulin resistance: a prospective approach in tehran lipid and glucose study 1,4 Maryam Tohidi ,2 and Fereidoun Azizi 3 1Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, and Obesity Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 1Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, and Obesity Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 1Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, and Obesity Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4No. 24., Shahid Erabi St., Yeman St., P.O. Box: 19395-4763, Velenjak, Tehran Iran 2Prevention of Metabolic Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 1Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, and Obesity Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2Prevention of Metabolic Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4No. 24., Shahid Erabi St., Yeman St., P.O. Box: 19395-4763, Velenjak, Tehran Iran Parvin Mirmiran, Email: ri.ca.enircodne@narimrim . Received 2016 Jan 31; Accepted 2016 Jul 13. Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, pro Continue reading >>
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Glycemic Index And Glycemic Load For 100+ Foods
Measuring carbohydrate effects can help glucose management The glycemic index is a value assigned to foods based on how slowly or how quickly those foods cause increases in blood glucose levels. Also known as "blood sugar," blood glucose levels above normal are toxic and can cause blindness, kidney failure, or increase cardiovascular risk. Foods low on the glycemic index (GI) scale tend to release glucose slowly and steadily. Foods high on the glycemic index release glucose rapidly. Low GI foods tend to foster weight loss, while foods high on the GI scale help with energy recovery after exercise, or to offset hypo- (or insufficient) glycemia. Long-distance runners would tend to favor foods high on the glycemic index, while people with pre- or full-blown diabetes would need to concentrate on low GI foods. Why? People with type 1 diabetes and even some with type 2 can't produce sufficient quantities of insulin—which helps process blood sugar—which means they are likely to have an excess of blood glucose. The slow and steady release of glucose in low-glycemic foods is helpful in keeping blood glucose under control. But the glycemic index of foods tells only part of the story. What it doesn't tell you is how high your blood sugar could go when you actually eat the food, which is partly determined by how much carbohydrate is in an individual serving. To understand a food's complete effect on blood sugar, you need to know both how quickly the food makes glucose enter the bloodstream, and how much glucose it will deliver. A separate value called glycemic load does that. It gives a more accurate picture of a food's real-life impact on blood sugar. The glycemic load is determined by multiplying the grams of a carbohydrate in a serving by the glycemic index, then dividing by Continue reading >>
Insulin Index
Insulin index of foods represents a score that compares foods based on the insulin response relative to white bread having a score of 100. The original insulin index was developed by Susanne Holt where her team examined the insulin response of common foods. Even though this index could tremendously benefit a diabetic community as well as people who are considered insulin resistant, Susanne identified a very short list of foods and their insulin response. Later on, Marty Kendall from Optimising Nutrition analyzed the insulin response of common foods by Susanne Holt and came up with a predictive formula for the insulin load of any food as well as insulinogenic calories. What the heck are insulinogenic calories and insulin load? Insulinogenic calories formula determines the percentage of calories in the food that could raise your insulin levels. At the same time, insulin load formula determines the number of grams in the food that could raise your insulin levels. This could be important if you are trying to stabilize your insulin levels or to follow a ketogenic or other low carb diets. Traditional way of counting “insulin load” In the keto and low carb communities people stick to carb counting. This assumption implies that only carbs significantly contribute to your insulin response. Whether it is total carbs or net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) the premise is the same. Example: 100 grams of protein ~0g glucose I know that we want to make things easy for people but how about making it easy and data driven. Insulin Response To Macros Before I dig deeper into the numbers I want to make sure that people understand the fact that anything that you eat will cause an insulin response. The real question here is how significant the response is. The significance of the respons Continue reading >>
- Why the Glycemic Index Fails for Many People with Diabetes
- The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Relative effectiveness of insulin pump treatment over multiple daily injections and structured education during flexible intensive insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes: cluster randomised trial (REPOSE)
Insulin Index – Hormonal Obesity Xxiii
Insulin levels had always been assumed to go up or down with the blood glucose levels which led to the glycemic index which had always been assumed to be a surrogate measure of insulin levels. The glycemic index did not turn out to be as successful in weight control because glucose does not drive obesity. Insulin drives obesity. With the insulin index, it was realized that only 23% of the variability of insulin response depends on the glucose. In other words, how much the glucose increases only accounts for 23% of the insulin response. Even taking into account the other macronutrients fat and protein, this only accounted for another 10% of the insulin response. The vast majority of the insulin response is still unknown. Some of the factors that are suspected or shown to affect the insulin secretion include presence of dietary fibre, an elevated amylose/amylopectin ratio of the starch, preserved botanical integrity (whole foods), presence of organic acids (fermentation), addition of vinegar (acetic acid), and addition of chili peppers (capsaicin). We will explore some of these factors in future posts. Nevertheless, the main point here is that there are many factors in the co-ingestion of foods that affect insulin. Things are about to become very complicated. The simplistic “Carbs make you fat!”, or “Calories make you fat!” or “Red meat makes you fat!” or “Sugar makes you fat!” sort of arguments simply are not able to capture the complexity of the human condition of weight gain. Among breakfast cereals, there is wide variation in the insulin response. All-Bran, with its high fibre and promise of colonic regularity, seems be stimulate insulin much less than cornflakes for instance. Protein containing foods turn out to be surprisingly potent at stimulating i Continue reading >>
Insulin Load, Insulin Index And Pancreatic Cancer
Posted on September 26, 2012 by Robert Barrington The insulin index is a measure of the plasma levels of insulin in response to a particular food. These values are created by comparison to the rise in plasma insulin in response to an equal quantity of standard food, which is often white bread (ascribed an insulin index of 100). The insulin load is a measure of the plasma insulin level based on the insulin index, but it takes into account the amount of food ingested. Fibre, dietary protein, high water content and small serving size can all reduce the insulin load of foods with a high insulin index because they reduce the speed of glucose absorption to the blood. The insulin index and insulin load are therefore useful biomarkers for clinical trials and epidemiological research interested in finding associations between insulin response and disease, and are generally considered more useful that glycaemic index and glycaemic load. It has been established that frequent consumption of foods with a high insulin index, that elicit a high insulin load, are associated with the development of obesity and diabetes, potentially through the formation of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia have been hypothesised to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer because high plasma levels of insulin, glucose and C-peptide are associated with an increased risk of the disease. However, research investigating the association between insulin load and insulin index has not shown that the postprandial insulin response is able to increase the risk of cancer in normal weight, healthy individuals1. But this same research did show that in individuals with a pre-existing state of insulin resistance, who were overweight and sedentary, may have an increase in th Continue reading >>
Dietary Insulin Index And Insulin Load In Relation To Biomarkers Of Glycemic Control, Plasma Lipids, And Inflammation Markers
Dietary insulin index and insulin load in relation to biomarkers of glycemic control, plasma lipids, and inflammation markers From the Departments of Nutrition (KN, MF, LS, WCW, and EG) and Epidemiology (WCW and EG), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, and the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, and Exercise, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (JCB-M). Address correspondence to K Nimptsch, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 2, Room 304, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: [email protected] . Search for other works by this author on: From the Departments of Nutrition (KN, MF, LS, WCW, and EG) and Epidemiology (WCW and EG), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, and the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, and Exercise, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (JCB-M). Search for other works by this author on: From the Departments of Nutrition (KN, MF, LS, WCW, and EG) and Epidemiology (WCW and EG), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, and the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, and Exercise, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (JCB-M). Search for other works by this author on: From the Departments of Nutrition (KN, MF, LS, WCW, and EG) and Epidemiology (WCW and EG), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, and the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, and Exercise, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (JCB-M). Search for other works by this author on: From the Departments of Nutrition (KN, MF, LS, WCW, and EG) and Epidemiology (WCW and EG), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, and the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, and Exercise, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (JCB-M). Search for other works by this author on: From the Departments of Nutrition (KN, Continue reading >>
