Everyone knows evil diabetes, it’s increased glucose levels in the blood. It creates havoc in the body and management is needed for the rest of the life. Let’s delve further into the effect of the Glycemic index on your sugar levels through this article.
Game of Glycemic index?
Simply said,High Glycemic index (GI) foods release a high amount of energy into your body faster. The index gives each food product a number from 0 – 100. For example, the GI of white bread is 75, so it’s a high-GI food.
These foods increase your blood sugar levels. Cells in our body use sugars to generate energy so that we can do everything – from blinking our eyes to heavy gym workouts.
But the issue here is, there isa high amount of sugar in the blood and the cells are not able to absorb it. Hence, blood sugar levels remain elevated. The role of medication is to help cells absorb the sugars from the blood.
Looking at the other side of the coin, does that mean low glycemic means less energy? No, low GI foods mean the energy is slowly released in the body and the cells are able to use that energy to do tasks.
To give a simple example, observe the serving of potato fries vs the serving of garden salad you need to satiate yourself.
Fries elevate your blood sugar levels quickly hence after 3-4 hrs you will feel hungry again whereas the salad will keep you full for longer hours.
75 – 100 are high GI index foods
50 – 75 is considered moderate GI index foods
0-50 are considered low GI index foods
High glycemic index playing with our body
1. Struggle with weight loss
These foods promote postprandial carbohydrate oxidation, a process that exposes the body to gain more fat. So, The main point is if you want to lose weight then avoid High GI foods.
Also Read: How To Prevent Diabetes ? 30 natural tips
2. Don't Stop Cravings
After eating High GI food within 3 to 4 hours, your body’s insulin levels would shoot up to absorb the high amount of sugar being released by the high-GI food you just consumed. High insulin levels mean you will feel even more hungry and will end up eating the same high-GI foods.
Also Read: How to know type 1 and type 2 diabetes which is more dangerous?
3. Invites heart disease
High GI foods induce obesity in a normal person. Talking of diabetic patients, they are at a high risk of exposure to cardiovascular diseases. So, the combined effect of diabetes and high GI foods is a disaster for your heart’s health.
Harvard Medical School found that people who ate high-GI diets suffered more heart attacks, strokes, and death than those who ate lower-GI diets
Also Read: Types of diabetes and Best Treatment For Diabetes
4. Aggravating diabetes
We understood how High GI foods induce more insulin secretion in your body, but if you’re a diabetic your body is not producing enough insulin.
Hence you will have to take higher insulin doses from outside – for example, if you were taking 9 mg of insulin injection after being on a high GI diet you would need 11 or 12 mg. This will keep increasing with time.
To sum up, High GI index foods harm the normal body but the situation worsens with diabetes. This further exacerbates the problem of high sugar levels which affects everything almost every organ – including skin, eyes, kidneys, etc.
It is henceforth advisable to check the GI index of foods on the internet to maintain stable sugar levels.
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