Find out why dieting you should consider not only the glycemic but also the insulin index of foods. Not only diabetics, but also fitness lovers need to know about the insulin and glycemic indices of foods. If the first concept is known to a wide audience, then the insulin index was introduced into use only at the end of the last century. Given the fact that nutritionists rarely use it, not everyone knows why the insulin index of foods should be taken into account on the diet. This is what will be discussed today.
Mechanism of carbohydrate metabolism and insulin index
To make it easier to understand what these concepts mean and what they are used for, it is necessary to understand the process of carbohydrate metabolism. It is thanks to him that we receive energy, which is spent on all, without exception, the movements we perform and the ongoing biochemical reactions. We will try to tell you about it as simply as possible:
- When food enters the body, the slow carbohydrates are broken down into simple saccharides - glucose and fructose. Through the walls of the intestinal tract, they enter the bloodstream.
- This leads to an increase in blood sugar, and the brain sends a signal to the pancreas to start synthesizing insulin. This hormonal substance delivers glucose to the cellular structures of tissues and thereby reduces the concentration in the blood.
- Thanks to insulin, glucose penetrates the cell membranes of muscle and adipose tissues.
- Some of the monosaccharides are immediately used for energy, while the rest is "stored" in the form of glycogen.
Glycogen is a store of carbohydrates that can be consumed as needed to maintain normal blood sugar levels when blood sugar drops. This is possible under the influence of physical exertion, or a prolonged lack of food. If the pancreas is unable to synthesize insulin in the required amount, then type 1 diabetes develops. This second type of disease involves a decrease in the body's insulin sensitivity. If you have been diagnosed with this disease, then you need to know why you should take into account the insulin index of foods on your diet.
Insulin index - what is it, the difference from the glycemic
As we said above, the concept of "insulin index" was introduced only at the end of the last century. He shows. How much insulin the pancreas should synthesize in response to this or that product. It is quite obvious that the indicator of this index mainly depends on the amount and type of carbohydrates contained in it, but not only.
Note that insulin and glycemic indexes do not need to be proportional. First of all, the body responds with the release of insulin to the consumption of carbohydrates, but a large amount of fats with protein compounds will also lead to active production of the hormone. Scientists believe that bread can trigger the maximum release of insulin, but the glycemic index of this product is relatively low.
The glycemic index shows how quickly blood glucose levels will rise after eating a particular food or meal. The glycemic index is most influenced by:
- Enzyme activity in the intestinal tract.
- Growing conditions and type of heat treatment of the product.
- Product manufacturing technologies.
- Combination of products.
- Storage conditions.
In the course of scientific research, not only an indicator of an increase in the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream after consumption of a product was established, but also the time and amount of synthesized insulin required to normalize blood sugar levels. If we talk about why take into account the insulin index of foods on the diet, then this indicator is extremely important for people with diabetes. With its help, you can determine the exact dosage of the drug.
Scientists also calculated the ratio of these two indices of all major products to compare them. As a result, it turned out that the performance of the same product can differ, and sometimes quite significantly. Let's say lactose has a higher glycemic index than insulin. In turn, with dairy products, the situation is exactly the opposite, for example, the AI of yogurt is 115, and the GI is 35.
How to use index values in practice?
Now we will tell you how and why to take into account the insulin index of foods along with the glycemic index on the diet. For those who have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is necessary to start drawing up their nutrition program with the glycemic index. Only then should the selected products be adjusted to one another using the insulin index.
In no case should you ignore the insulin index, since foods with high values can deplete the pancreas in a short time. As a result, lipids will accumulate, rather than use up existing reserves.
How to combine products:
- Products containing protein compounds should not be combined with simple carbohydrates and starchy foods.
- Starch is incompatible with simple carbohydrates, but can be consumed with fats.
- Vegetables, starch and protein are not combined with simple carbohydrates, but only with fats.
- Vegetables should be eaten with fats and proteins, but not simple carbohydrates.
Based on all of the above, people with diabetes can be given the following recommendations:
- Do not eat fast carbohydrates with fats, for example, meat cannot be washed down with sugary drinks.
- Try to avoid a combination of protein and carbohydrates - it is better not to add honey to cottage cheese.
- An excellent combination is unsaturated fats and complex carbohydrates - nuts with fish.
- Try not to subject food to prolonged heat treatment.
- Eat protein-rich foods for breakfast.
- Complex carbohydrates should be consumed in the evening, as they do not cause a sudden surge of insulin.
What is important to remember about the insulin index of foods?
It is quite understandable that it is impossible to independently determine the insulin index and you will have to use special tables. However, there is no complete information on this issue in the public domain, and those tables that "roam" the network in most cases contain some inaccuracies. First of all, you should remember the most important points:
- The insulin index of dairy products is high.
- Meat and fish dishes have an AI of 45 to 60 units.
- Raw chicken eggs have a low AI of 31.
- The group with a low insulin index includes vegetables, except for potatoes and mushrooms.
- The insulin index of dark chocolate and fruits ranges from 20 to 22 units.
Low-AI foods include apples, beef, eggs, fish, cheese, pasta, oatmeal, etc. Grapes, potatoes, white rice, yogurt, bananas, oranges, etc., have correspondingly high AI.
Glycemic and insulin indices of dairy products
Anyone who wants to lose weight or suffers from diabetes is interested not only in why the insulin index of foods should be taken into account on the diet, but also why the indices of dairy products are so different. Recall that their GI is within 30 units, and the AI exceeds 100. Dairy products are not able to dramatically increase glycemia, but at the same time they actively stimulate insulin synthesis.
As a result, the performance of the enzyme necessary for the breakdown of fats is suppressed. This leads to the fact that the body builds up the amount of adipose tissues. If you were sure that eating a lot of cottage cheese (after all, we are constantly told that this is a dietary product), you can get rid of excess weight, then you are deeply mistaken.
It should also be remembered that dairy products contribute to fluid retention in the body, which leads to the appearance of edema. This is due to the acceleration of the synthesis of hormones produced by the adrenal glands, for example, aldosterone. However, this does not mean that you need to exclude dairy products from your diet. They contain a lot of nutrients, without which the body is unable to function normally.
In addition, you can often hear questions about how dangerous a sudden release of insulin can be for health. Acceleration of hormone production by the pancreas after eating is a normal physiological response. It is not in our power to completely get rid of it, and there is no need for it. During the day, such hormonal surges are observed from three to four and this is safe for health. It's another matter when you often eat simple carbohydrates. This situation can negatively affect your metabolism.
How to use the insulin index for weight loss correctly?
If you need to lose weight, then foods with a high insulin index should be consumed in the morning. Somewhere after 14 hours, they should be abandoned so as not to cause a sharp surge in insulin concentration. Sometimes a person needs not to lose weight, but to gain it.
To solve this problem, you can also manipulate the AI of various products. You need to divide them into three receptions and use them as follows:
- Before lunch - two receptions.
- After lunch - one meal.
It should be admitted that the situation with the glycemic and insulin index is ambiguous and a nutritionist will help you to understand this issue in detail.
How effective is a low glycemic index diet?
Scientists specifically studied the effect of low-GI foods on people with overweight problems. The results can hardly be called positive. After all, such a nutrition program did not allow an increase in the body's insulin sensitivity, and the sugar concentration and blood pressure did not decrease.
For a long time, it was believed that foods with a low glycemic index have a positive effect on the work of the heart muscle. However, there is no scientific confirmation of this. The latest study used four nutritional programs:
- With a high glycemic index of 65 units.
- A high-carbohydrate diet with a GI of 40 units.
- Low carb but high GI.
- Low in carbohydrates and low glycemic index.
All nutrition programs were based on the principle of a dietary approach to combating hypertension, which involves limiting the diet of fat and consuming large amounts of dairy products, vegetables and fruits. As a result, scientists stated the fact that from the point of view of preventing the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system, the dietary program with a low GI was not effective.
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