Now lefs readdress the glycemic index and how it is derived. The glycemic index was a term originally coined in the early 1980s, although researchers such as Dr. Page have long realized that certain foods release glucose into the blood more rapidly than other foods. This index has allowed a more scientific comparison of the glucose-releasing abilities of different foods. As we have already noted above, it is this rate of glucose release that correlates directly with the amount of insulin released, and with the amount of fat that is subsequently stored. Therefore, it follows that the immediate fat-forming potential of any food will be directly correlated with how rapidly it releases glucose into the bloodstream upon digestion.
The glycemic index is derived by checking blood glucose levels every fifteen minutes for three hours after the ingestion of 50 grams of the carbohydrate food being tested. This is then graphed out and the area on the graph underneath the curve formed by these blood values gives an objective figure on the rate of release and total amount of glucose released during the test time. These figures can then be compared among the different carbohydrate foods that are known to be digested down into glucose. Appendix I gives a glycemic index composite table for a number of common foods.
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