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Glycemic Load is the value for a portion of a food that contains carbohydrates. It determines the effect of eating a given food on changes in blood sugar levels. It is a more accurate indicator than the glycemic index, because it takes into account not only the type of carbohydrates and the rate of their absorption, but also the amount of carbohydrates contained in a serving of the product.

The glycemic loadis an indicator that facilitates nutrition planning for people suffering from diabetes, insulin resistance or other problems with carbohydrate metabolism. The glycemic load is a broader concept than the glycemic index, because it takes into account not only the type of carbohydrates contained in the product, but also their amount in a portion of a given food.

Glycemic index and glycemic load

Eating any product that contains carbohydrates causes the body to respond by changing blood sugar levels. In order to make it easier to quantify these changes, the concept of the glycemic index was introduced. The glycemic index (GI) is an indicator of how rapidly blood glucose levels rise after consuming a serving of the product containing 50 g of digestible carbohydrate. As products vary widely in carbohydrate content, using only GI as a marker of changes in blood glucose leads to inaccuracies. This difference is taken into account by the glycemic load (GL), which gives more information about what is happening in the body in terms of changes in blood glucose and insulin levels after eating a meal - it shows that eating a product with a high GI, containing little carbohydrates, gives a similar the effect of eating a product with a low GI, containing a lot of carbohydrates.

A good example is comparing chocolate and watermelon. Milk chocolate has a low GI=49, and watermelon has a high GI=72. The low glycemic index of chocolate is due to the presence of fats that slow down the absorption of sugar from food, and it is well known that chocolate is a product rich in simple sugars. Watermelon, on the other hand, does contain sugars that are absorbed quickly, but to get 50 g of watermelon carbohydrates, which will significantly raise blood sugar, you need to eat about 1 kilogram of it. Eating a serving of chocolate (2 strips) will cause a greater change in blood glucose than eating a slice of watermelon, despite itslower IG. This is due to the carbohydrate content: 7.15 g in 100 g of watermelon and 57.3 g in 100 g of chocolate. Comparing products, even with a similar GI, can give very different GL values ​​due to the drastically different carbohydrate content in the product.

The glycemic load for a single serving of food is calculated according to the formula: ŁG=W x IG / 100

  • ŁG - glycemic load;
  • W - amount of digestible carbohydrates [g] in a portion of the product;
  • IG - glycemic index of the product.

As in the case of the glycemic index, a distinction is made between foods:

  • low glycemic load<10;
  • medium glycemic load=10-20;
  • high glycemic load>20.

People with diabetes or problems with carbohydrate metabolism should base their diet on low glycemic load products, and avoid those with a high GG.

This will be useful to you

Examples of glycemic load calculations

  • Zucchini: zucchini, which weighs 250 g, contains 8 g of carbohydrates and has an IG=15; ŁG=8x15 / 100=1.2.
  • Watermelon: a 100 g slice of watermelon contains 7.15 g of carbohydrate and has an IG=72; ŁG=7.15x72 / 100=5.15.
  • Chocolate: 2 bars of chocolate that weigh 48 g, contain 27.2 g of carbohydrate and have an IG=49; ŁG=27.2x49 / 100=13.3.
  • Wheat roll: there is 46.2 g of carbohydrates in a white 80 g roll, and its IG=70; ŁG=46.2x70 / 100=32.3.
  • Wholemeal rye bread: 2 slices of rye bread weigh 70 g and contain 35.8 g of carbohydrate, the GI of the bread is 57; ŁG=35.8x57 / 100=20.4.

What changes related to glycemia occur in the body after consuming products with different GI and GG values?

  • Products with low GI and low GI (e.g. vegetables) - blood glucose levels increase slowly, do not change much and last for a long time.
  • High GI and low GI foods (e.g. watermelon) - blood glucose levels rise quickly, but not too high, and return to baseline levels after a short time.
  • Products with a high GI and high GL (e.g. white bread) - the blood glucose level rises quickly to high values, which results in a high insulin surge and a drop in sugar levels below the starting level; can also translate into easier weight gain.
  • Foods with low GI and high GI (e.g. wholemeal bread) - blood glucose levels rise slowly to not very high levels, elevated levels persist for a long time due to the high content of carbohydrates in food and their gradual release.

Work with both index valuesglycemic and glycemic load allows you to more accurately determine which products will serve you and which you should be careful about.

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Author: Time S.A

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Table of glycemic load values ​​of selected food products

Product name

Serving size in grams

Serving size in home measures

Carbohydrate content per serving in grams

IG

ŁG
Cooked barley groats1571 glass44,37031

Buckwheat, cooked

1681 glass33,55418
Cornflakes301 glass24,98421
Oatmeal303 flat spoons20.8408
Cooked white rice1501 glass366423
Boiled brown rice1501 glass335518
Wheat roll801 item46.27032
Wheat bread251 slice13,67010
Wholemeal bread351 slice17,95710
Natural yoghurt2501 glass10.8364
Milk 3%2501 glass12273
Chudy cottage cheese1001/2 cubes3,5301
Zucchini2501 item8151
Green beans901 handful6,8151
Raw carrot451 item3,9301
Boiled carrot451 item34803
Red pepper2301 item15,2152
Tomato1701 item6,1302
Boiled potatoes1502 medium217015
Watermelon1001 patch7,15725
Unripe banana1201 medium28,25516
Red grapefruit2601 item27.8308
Pear1501 item21.6306
Apple1801 item24.8359
Raspberries1201 glass14,4254
Strawberries701 handful5251
Milk chocolate61 cube3,4492
Donut701 item43,56930
Pancakes751 item408534

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Category:

Diabetes