Is The Glycemic Index A Fad Diet?

Like many diets whose claims are still waiting to be scientifically tested, the glycemic index has many passionate followers. What makes this somewhat different is the number of dieticians who champion it. Find out what's going on here. The glycemic index is quite popular amongst some dietitians as a way to help control diabetes, lose weight, and improve general health. However, it is not without its' controversy - a health expert published on the American Diabetes Association website has labeled it a fad, the successor to the Atkins diet fad. This article will look at both these points of view, the complexities of the glycemic index that make it difficult to apply in real life food situations, and whether there is any value in the approach.

What Is The Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index looks at the way different carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels as they are absorbed into the bloodstream. These qualities are established by comparing each food with a control - either white bread or glucose. All foods are thus given a value against this control, and a relative table is established. Unfortunately, the GI values in the tables based on bread and glucose are not always the same for each food, making comparison difficult.

Many dieticians believe blood sugar levels can be controlled through choosing foods and meals with a favourable GI rating. This may be done by choosing foods with a moderate or low GI rating, or cooking foods with a high GI in a way that lowers the GI. Or, including those high GI foods in a meal with other foods that also lowers the overall GI value of the meal. Protein, fiber, and beneficial fats all have this effect of lowering the glycemic index of a food.

This capacity of other foods, cooking methods, and other factors to affect the glycemic index is what makes it difficult to find any practical value in the theory. The changes in GI can be fairly significant. Even how ripe a food is, how long it has been in storage, and what variety it is all have an impact. As the American Diabetes Association website states, potatoes in the US and Australia have different GI values. This level of variation requires a lot of knowledge on the part of the consumer to work out the correct values, and then make a decision on whether it is appropriate for their blood sugar levels at the time.

And the food itself is not the only variable. The glycemic index of foods varies with each person. And it can also vary for one individual on a day to day basis. Whilst potato may have a higher GI for you one day, the next it might not. Another problem is that the GI values are based on a serving size of 50g. We rarely eat 50g at a time.

The studies on the benefits of a GI diet may actually reflect other factors at play. For example, the authors of a study that found an association between those on a low GI diet and a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration made the point that a low GI diet generally had a higher percentage of antioxidants and other phytochemicals known to benefit eye health. Thus, a low GI diet may not actually be responsible for the eye benefits, it may simply be a coincidence, and the vehicle through which those particular respondents included more eye healthy food.

Ultimately, whether the glycemic index is beneficial for you is a matter of personal choice. It is a difficult and complex diet to follow for the reasons mentioned above. And poor food choices (in terms of sugar, fat and other content) can still be made. Thus a low GI diet does not necessarily mean a healthy diet. It may simply be better to incorporate general principles of healthy eating and listen to your own body, rather than a body of theory. At the end of the day, the GI is still largely theory that requires more stringent human studies.

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