Glycemic load - what is it and how is it calculated?

• Glycemic index and glycemic load
• What changes related to glycemia occur in the body after consuming products with different GI and GG values?
• Table of glycemic load values ​​of selected food products

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 groats	157	1 glass	44,3	70	31
Buckwheat, cooked	168	1 glass	33,5	54	18
Cornflakes	30	1 glass	24,9	84	21
Oatmeal	30	3 flat spoons	20.8	40	8
Cooked white rice	150	1 glass	36	64	23
Boiled brown rice	150	1 glass	33	55	18
Wheat roll	80	1 item	46.2	70	32
Wheat bread	25	1 slice	13,6	70	10
Wholemeal bread	35	1 slice	17,9	57	10
Natural yoghurt	250	1 glass	10.8	36	4
Milk 3%	250	1 glass	12	27	3
Chudy cottage cheese	100	1/2 cubes	3,5	30	1
Zucchini	250	1 item	8	15	1
Green beans	90	1 handful	6,8	15	1
Raw carrot	45	1 item	3,9	30	1
Boiled carrot	45	1 item	34	80	3
Red pepper	230	1 item	15,2	15	2
Tomato	170	1 item	6,1	30	2
Boiled potatoes	150	2 medium	21	70	15
Watermelon	100	1 patch	7,15	72	5
Unripe banana	120	1 medium	28,2	55	16
Red grapefruit	260	1 item	27.8	30	8
Pear	150	1 item	21.6	30	6
Apple	180	1 item	24.8	35	9
Raspberries	120	1 glass	14,4	25	4
Strawberries	70	1 handful	5	25	1
Milk chocolate	6	1 cube	3,4	49	2
Donut	70	1 item	43,5	69	30
Pancakes	75	1 item	40	85	34