04/30/2004

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Chow Line: Diabetes? Look for low-glycemic foods (for 5/9/04)

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@osu.edu
(614)292-9833

Source:

Steve Hertzler

Are there foods that actually lower blood glucose levels in people with Type II diabetes?

Unfortunately, there are no foods that would cause a lower blood glucose after you eat the food compared with before. That would be like expecting your gas tank to contain less fuel after a fill-up than before: Food is fuel, and when you put it in your body, glucose (energy) levels will rise.

However, some foods cause less of an increase in blood glucose compared with other foods. These foods are referred to as low-glycemic index foods. While nutritionists still disagree about how important the glycemic is for the general population, it can be a useful tool for people with diabetes.

The glycemic index is a scale that gives tested foods a number based on how fast they raise blood sugar levels compared with a solution glucose (which has an index number of 100). Foods that do so quickly (�high-glycemic� foods) also provoke the release of high levels of insulin. Normally, the insulin allows the sugar to leave the bloodstream and enter cells where it can be used for energy. However, people with Type 2 diabetes either don�t make enough insulin or it isn�t used properly, and blood sugar remains high for longer periods.

That�s not good: Sugar running around rampant in the bloodstream can cause blood vessel walls to get �sticky� and start attracting cells and debris, like when you spill a soft drink at the movie theater. If this happens too often for too long, it prevents proper circulation, especially in small blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys, nervous system, and hands and feet. That�s why those parts of the body are so vulnerable to diabetes complications.

Low-glycemic foods, on the other hand, raise blood sugar levels more slowly, helping keep blood sugar and insulin levels in balance. Low-glycemic index foods have an index of 60 or less. Examples of low-glycemic index foods include dairy products, legumes (kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, chick-peas), apples, unsweetened apple-sauce, tomato soup, and cherries.

Carrots are also a low-glycemic index food. There has been a myth circulating for years that carrots have a high glycemic index. However, three out of four studies of carrots have reported they have a glycemic index of less than 50. The goal for people with diabetes should be to try to eat at least one low-glycemic index food per meal each day.

Chow Line is a service of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1044, or filipic.3@osu.edu.

Editor:

This column was reviewed by Steven Hertzler, assistant professor of human nutrition in the College of Human Ecology.

Good references for the glycemic index include:

-- Foster-Powell K, Holt SHA, Brand-Miller JC. International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002.

-- Brand-Miller JC, Wolever TMS, Foster-Powell K, Colagiuri M. The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index. New York: Marlowe and Company, 2003.