12 May 2021
According to the data provided by National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2019, we discover a striking result — in every five adults, there could be a person suffering from diabetes. Besides, Malaysia is also the country with the highest incidence of diabetes in Asia.
What is glycemic index? It is used to indicate the impact driven by carbohydrates towards blood sugar level.
During digestion, carbohydrates with high glycemic index will break down quickly and the glucose will be released into blood and the blood sugar level will be driven. However, carbohydrates with low glycemic index will break down much slower and release the glucose into our blood, but it may take longer time for the blood sugar level to rise.
Whenever our blood sugar level increases, our pancreas will secrete insulin to regulate our blood sugar back to normal. As time goes on, carbohydrates with high glycemic index will take its toll on our pancreas and eventually cause exhaustion, where the pancreas no longer metabolises carbohydrates as usual. As a consequence, diabetes emerges. As you can see, foods with lower glycemic index are more beneficial to our health.
Now, let’s dive right into the glycemic index in foods:
In fact, what are the reasons that may affect the glycemic index in foods?
As the food undergoes more detailed processes, it may require much shorter time to digest the food, thus increase the blood sugar faster. For instance, the glycemic index in rolled-oat is 51 whereas the glycemic index in instant oat may be 66.
Fats and protein slow down our bowel evacuation and eventually delay the digestion and absorption of starch. As a result, the blood sugar level may need more time to increase. For example, the glycemic index in fried crisps (with cooking oil) is 54 whereas the glycemic index in roasted potatoes is 85.
Dietary fibers possess significant water absorbability, which is able to slow down the absorption of food and provide lower glycemic index. Take apple as an example: apples contain pectin, it helps to provide a lower glycemic index, which is 40.
Come and get healthier with us by choosing foods with higher protein and fibers! Together we can learn to maintain a healthier blood sugar level!