Glycemic and insulinemic responses to carbohydrate rich whole foods

Glycemic and insulinemic responses to food may depend on several intrinsic factors such as the type of sugar, molecular arrangement, size of starch granules, co-components in the whole food like moisture, fat, protein, fiber, as well as external factors like processing technique and total amount consumed. The postprandial glycemic response to equivalent quantities of test food and standard food is compared using Glycemic Index food (GI food). The incremental area under the curve for blood glucose and insulin at fasting, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after consumption of different doses (50 and 100 g) of carbohydrate rich foods like rice and chapatti were compared with standard food, white bread. The GI food value for 50 g of chapatti and rice was 44 and 11 respectively. The Insulinemic Index food (II food) values, calculated similarly, for 50 g portion of chapatti and rice were 39 and 6 respectively. Glycemic and insulinemic response showed a dose dependent increase from 50 to 100 g. Both glycemic and insulinemic impact of chapatti were found to be significantly higher than that of rice (p < 0.05). The GI food and II food values will facilitate qualitative and quantitative judgment about the selection of specific foods for effective metabolic control.