Carbohydrate and Glycemic Index
What is carbohydrate? When we looking under a microscope we discover that carbohydrates are simply long chains of sugars. Shorter chains were considered simple carbohydrates and longer chains, complex.
People used to believe that if you eat a simple sugar like glucose, fructose, maltose, or sucrose, your blood sugar will rise more rapidly because your body does not need to break down the sugar. However, if you eat a complex carbohydrate with a longer chain of sugars, like potato or a piece of bread, your blood sugar will rise more slowly and therefore would be a better choice not only for those without health complications but also for diabetics.
However, with a introduction of the new concept called glycemic index in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Dr. Jenkins, the whole theory above changed. Jenkins defined te glycemic index as the rate blood sugar rises following the ingestion of a particular test food relative to that of a standard food (usually white bread or glucose). Originally, glucose was believed to raise blood glucose most quickly, so it was given the rating of 100. However, ten years later (1990), additional foods had been tested and many were found to score even higher.
Reference: Healthy for life
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