New Glycemic Profile Measuring System

LUND, SwedenA Lund University scientist has developed a complementary glycemic profile" (GP) measuring system that provides a more accurate picture of the blood glucose response over the traditional low-glycemic index concept, according to a new study published in Nutrition Journal.

The new GP measuring system is more accurate because it takes the curve's appearance into accountthe flatter the curve, the better the GP. Food that produces an even and reasonably low curve scores the best values.

"White pasta is one example of a product which in some cases has received a bad reputation because of a high GI. However, white pasta produces just as good a blood glucose response as whole-wheat pasta", said Liza Rosén, doctor in applied nutrition at Lund University in Sweden.

She noted wheat pasta has sometimes been assigned a confusingly high value is that GI only considers the entire area under the blood sugar curve. In contrast to what many believe, GI does not take fluctuations in blood sugar into account. This puts foods with a long and fairly low curve at a disadvantage. She noted many rye bread products also have this type of curve.

To calculate the GP, glucose levels in the blood are measured for three hours after a meal. GI is also a measure of the blood sugar response, but only over two hours.

"A food with a high GP indicates that the energy lasts longer. The absolute best situation is if the product has a low GI and high GP. This means it's a really good product," she said. One example is boiled rye kernels, which have a GI of 73 (where 100 is the GI of white wheat bread) and a GP of 94. In the same study, boiled wheat kernels had a GI of 68 but a GP of 51. The results suggest that the rye kernels produce a more stable blood sugar profile."