Glycemic Response of Food and Factors Affecting it

Page: 53-59

Arti Kumari1, Manish Kumar2, Sachin Phogat3,4 (Division of Biochemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi1, Division of Nematology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi2, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi3, and ICAR- National Institute of Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi4)

Carbohydrate is the major source of energy in our diet, but it spikes blood glucose. A rich carboholic diet with a sedentary lifestyle turned India into a diabetic volcano. Considering the need of the hour, many tools have been developed to analyze and estimate the effect of food on blood glucose (glycemia), like glycemic load (GL), glycemic index (GI) and glycemic glucose equivalents (GGE), etc. Even though the food types are classified based on GI, considering the limitations, GL is a better way for analyzing the effect of food on postprandial blood glucose release. Different food components such as carbohydrates, dietary fibers, proteins, and fats affect the access to the digestive enzyme and thus affecting the rise in blood glucose levels. So, it’s vital to understand the interplay of various components- starch, lipid, and protein. Starch quality and digestibility are important parameters. It forms complex with other components and embedded in a matrix, it becomes inaccessible for digestive enzymes and slowly raises blood glucose levels. Study about the appropriate descriptors and factors affecting glycemic response can help in diabetes management. This paper reviews the importance of appropriate descriptors to analyze the glycemic response of food. Also, the factors affecting glycemic response are highlighted that play a key role in the management of blood glucose levels from a nutritional viewpoint.