10) GLYCEMIC INDEX
d) Glycemic Index and Losing Weight
In some people, high glycemic index food brings on a vicious cycle of high blood sugar / low blood sugar cycling throughout the day which ends up with that person eating more food (and more carbohydrates) that they would have eaten had they eaten low glycemic index food. This is a highly individualized reaction and does not occur with all people. What we can say is that high glycemic index foods are bad for SOME individuals. If an individual with diabetes suffers severe hunger pains an hour to two hours after eating a high glycemic index food (potatoes, white bread, cakes, candy, etc.), they obviously need to closely watch the glycemic index of the food they eat. If they don't watch their glycemic index, then these individuals will have difficulty holding a low A1c and difficulty losing weight.
A high glycemic index food will rapidly raise the blood sugar levels. If the glucose level goes up too fast the body will react by putting out a lot of insulin, the blood sugar level will then rapidly drop (if this is a person with type 2 diabetes who is on medication to improve insulin resistance, this drop will still occur) and the individual will get hungry sooner than they should. Obviously when a person gets hungry frequently they will probably overeat! It is all a matter of satiation. For some people, very low glycemic index foods give much better satiation than high glycemic index foods. And this improvement in satiation is very important in weight loss. It is the opinion of many diet experts and the opinion of Oprah's very highly paid dieticians that it is important to not eat ANY high glycemic index foods in order to lose weight. It is called "avoiding the white stuff".
As mentioned elsewhere, it should be noted that an individual might find they lose weight the fastest with a low glycemic index, low fat diet where carbohydrates form much of the diet, but their blood sugar levels aren't where they want them. When they drop the carbohydrate levels and increase the protein levels their blood sugar come under control but they have more difficulty losing weight, probably because many sources of protein (such as salmon) have large amounts of oils and fats. An individual might stop losing weight altogether on a very low carbohydrate diet (not an Atkins ketosis type diet, stay away from those). So that individual might have to moderate their intake of carbohydrates with more beans, nuts, oatmeal and bran cereal, to a level of about 150 to 200 grams per day. Each individual with diabetes is different and needs to experiment to find what works best for them. The critical consideration is not the diet foods per se; it is that the diabetic bring their weight into at least the "normal" range and preferably into the "low normal" range.
Current Chapter: 10) GLYCEMIC INDEX
a) Introduction
b) Types of Common Carbohydrates
c) Glycemic Index and A1c
d) Glycemic Index and Losing Weight
e) Glycemic Index Controversy
f) Using Bad Statistics to Judge the Glycemic Index
g) The Occasional High Glycemic "Splurge"
h) Glycemic Load
© Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved.