. The Glycemic Index offers an exciting, and scientifically valid, way of determining the types of carbohydrates we eat. It measures and prices the way these carbohydrates enter the body. And in doing so provides a way of approaching meals so that it could be both nutritionally logical, and keep the urge to eat away. This of course is one way of preventing overeating. And its a good way for parents to test and suppress their kids' want to eat un-healthy food between meals.
The Glycemic Index costs sugars as having whether high, low or medium glycemic index. And the concept is to eat more foods which have either a low or medium glycemic index, and less with a high one. Low glycemic index foods enter the bloodstream more slowly, and so don't increase blood sugar levels like high glycemic index foods.
So, what is a carbohydrate? All sugars, or foods that are separated in-to sugar, are carbohydrates. This includes regular sugar, glucose (often used in sports drinks), fructose, (in fresh fruit), lactose, (found in milk and similar products and services like yoghurt), maltose, (found in malt that is often used to flavor cereals), all varieties of starches, from potatoes to noodles and pasta, and legumes, such as lentils and peas (though these also contain some protein).
Fruit is considered to have a low GI (perhaps not fruit juice though). Interestingly though, recent research has found what they feel is really a link between fructose and obesity. However, the type of fructose examined was in corn syrup, which really is a concentrated and refined form of fructose. Additionally it does not have the fibre, anti-oxidants and other phytochemicals that good fresh fruit does. This was also research done within an animal model, so that it may not be good for people. Experts in the University of Florida discovered that fructose may make people think they're hungrier than they must be. And when these scientists interrupted the way fructose was digested, the subjects they were working together with didn't put on weight, although they still ate fructose.
This is simply not the initial re-search that's encouraged fructose could be related to a tendency to hold weight, moreso than other types of food. A report at the University of Cincinnati unearthed that eating fructose (high fructose corn syrup), led to greater fat storage. They say that the body processes fructose differently to other types of sugars, though again, it is unclear if this can be mitigated by perhaps the lower concentration of fructose in fruit as compared to the corn syrup utilized in the study.
The study from the University of Florida discovered that there have been higher quantities of uric acid in the bloodstream after eating or drinking fructose. Insulin is affected by this spike in uric acid, by blocking it. Insulin regulates the way our cells store and use fat. If the crystals levels are increased a whole lot, then outward indications of metabolic syndrome can produce. These signs include high blood pres-sure, high cholesterol levels, as well as getting plenty of weight. What's of possible problem to people is that fructose is employed in a lot of soda products, so it is going to be rather easy to usually increase uric acid levels in the blood if you drink a lot of soda. Metabolic syndrome is also a precursor of diabetes. In case people wish to identify further on enstep.com, there are tons of on-line databases people might think about pursuing.
Signs of metabolic syndrome include fat around the abdomen, in a way that the middle seems as large as the sides or larger. There are generally lower portions of the great kind of cholesterol in the blood, and high levels of triglycerides which make the blood 'sticky.' Metabolic syndrome is connected with the way the body responds to insulin, to ensure you'll find higher quantities of sugar in the blood. Many of these things can be tested by doctors.
References:
1. http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=64395&m=1NIED08&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
2. Australian Healthier Food, Nov 2005
3. Nature and Health, Oct/Nov 2005.