Glycemic Index: As Important as Drugs in Diabetes
Anne L. Peters, MD: I'm Dr Anne Peters. I'm here today with Dr Jennie Brand-Miller. We are going to talk about the glycemic index.
My very first research was actually in the field of nutrition. It has been a real interest of mine because I can help my patients just as much by teaching them nutritional principles (including how and what to eat) as I can by teaching them about drugs and insulin.
What would you like to teach me today?
Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD: I want to teach you that a low-glycemic-index diet is a shortcut to a healthy diet.
Dr Peters: I didn't know there were any shortcuts in life, but all right—teach me.
Dr Brand-Miller: The glycemic index is a tool that we use to rate carbohydrate foods according to their effect on blood sugar levels. Some carbohydrates are digested very quickly and make the blood glucose spike. These foods have a high glycemic index. Other carbohydrates that digest slowly have a lower glycemic index.
Perhaps the best example is oats. Steel-cut oats have a low glycemic index. Traditional oats that take less time to cook have a medium glycemic index.
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COMMENTARY
Demystifying the Glycemic Index: Implications for Practice
Anne L. Peters, MD; Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD
DisclosuresJune 30, 2015
Glycemic Index: As Important as Drugs in Diabetes
Anne L. Peters, MD: I'm Dr Anne Peters. I'm here today with Dr Jennie Brand-Miller. We are going to talk about the glycemic index.
My very first research was actually in the field of nutrition. It has been a real interest of mine because I can help my patients just as much by teaching them nutritional principles (including how and what to eat) as I can by teaching them about drugs and insulin.
What would you like to teach me today?
Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD: I want to teach you that a low-glycemic-index diet is a shortcut to a healthy diet.
Dr Peters: I didn't know there were any shortcuts in life, but all right—teach me.
Dr Brand-Miller: The glycemic index is a tool that we use to rate carbohydrate foods according to their effect on blood sugar levels. Some carbohydrates are digested very quickly and make the blood glucose spike. These foods have a high glycemic index. Other carbohydrates that digest slowly have a lower glycemic index.
Perhaps the best example is oats. Steel-cut oats have a low glycemic index. Traditional oats that take less time to cook have a medium glycemic index.
Medscape Diabetes © 2015 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Demystifying the Glycemic Index: Implications for Practice - Medscape - Jun 30, 2015.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Authors
Anne L. Peters, MD
Professor, Endocrinology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; Director, University of Southern California Clinical Diabetes Programs, Los Angeles, California
Disclosure: Anne L. Peters, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Served as a consultant for: Amgen, Inc.; Abbott Diabetes Care; Becton, Dickinson and Company; Biodel; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company/AstraZeneca; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Lexicon; Eli Lilly and Company; Medtronic, Inc.; Novo Nordisk; OptumRx; sanofi-aventis; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.; Thermalin
Serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
Received a research grant from: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Medtronic, Inc.
Received income in an amount equal to or greater than $250 from: Amgen, Inc.; Abbott Diabetes Care; Becton, Dickinson and Company; Biodel; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company/AstraZeneca; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Lexicon; Eli Lilly and Company; Medtronic, Inc.; Novo Nordisk; OptumRx; sanofi-aventis; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.; Thermalin; Medscape
Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD
Professor of Human Nutrition, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Disclosure: Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant, or trustee for: Glycemic Index Foundation
Received research grant from: National Health and Medical Research Council Australia
Receives book royalties