The Glycemic Index (GI) and How it Impacts the Digestion of Carbohydrates

Fitness Nutrition Case 2
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Fitness Nutrition Case 2
The Glycemic Index (GI) refers to how quickly the body converts carbohydrates to glucose and how quickly carbohydrates in a portion of food result in higher blood sugar levels. The GI system employs pure glucose, which has an Index value of 100, to measure a rise in blood glucose levels. High-glycemic foods tend to be digested and absorbed into the bloodstream rapidly, causing massive spikes in blood sugar levels. On the other hand, low-glycemic foods are digested and absorbed much more slowly, and the rise in blood sugar levels is gradual. The GI is arrived at by measuring the swiftness and degree to which a food comprising 50g of carbohydrate is digested and transformed into glucose in the blood compared to a 50g dose of pure glucose. Overall, the GI system is a tool that ranks relatively how different sugars or carbohydrates in foods affect blood sugar levels.
After eating foods high in carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks them down into glucose, which travels into the bloodstream and enters individual cells. Glucose is the fuel that drives the body and provides it with the energy needed to function. Excess glucose that is not needed by the body is converted into glycogen, which is the storage form of glucose within the liver and muscle (Better Health Channel, 2012). When glucose levels decrease between meals, glycogen is converted into glucose again to ensure st...