Glycemic index of a food and its importance

Whenever we talk about carbohydrates we just discard them absolutely for a diabetic patient. But all carbohydrates are not alike and have a different effect on blood sugar level after eating.

The effect of carbohydrate or any food having potential to raise blood sugar level is measured in terms of what is called glycemic index of the food.

How glycemic index is measured

Glycemic index of any food is measured taking glucose as a reference. Glucose after taking orally gets absorbed quickly and its glycemic index is considered as 100. For measuring glycemic index at least 10 person is fed with the food to be measured and blood sugar is measured at every 15 minutes interval for first hour and every 30 minutes. A graph is plotted and compared with blood glucose level after standard 50 gm of glucose taken orally.

Glycemic index of any food can be low, moderate and high. A low glycemic food is considered when glycemic index is upto 55 and moderate when it is between 56 to 69 and high glycemic index is when it is above 70.

The food having low glycemic index is slowly absorbed and the there is slow and steady rise in blood sugar after its intake and lowers down steadily after a time interval. While food with high glycemic index is absorbed quickly and there is sharp rise in blood sugar level and keeps fluctuating. The insulin level of the body too tends to fluctuate and in a diabetic patient it is difficult to adjust a dose of anti diabetic drugs and insulin if the patient have high glycemic index food.

Benefits of low glycemic index diet

It is understood that a diabetic person should concentrate on food having low glycemic index while a hypoglycemic patient should take high glycemic index food. Though a person with sedentary life style should always prefer diet having low glycemic index.

Alow glycemic index diet not only helps to control diabetes but also increases sensitivity of insulin. Even a non diabetic person having obesity should prefer low glycemic diet as it curbs many heart diseases and even helps to curb down obesity. Females with PCOS is recommended to have low GI foods.

Which type of foods have low glycemic index

Not going details on the chart, it should be noted that salads, nuts, brawn and fruit juices baring a few like mango juice are of low glycemic index. Among milk soya milk is considered as best. Most of the person use to have cornflakes in the breakfast but it has a high glycemic index of about 83. Spagetti is ideal food for one who prefer pasta. 

Glycemic index of bakery products

The3 bakery products are generally of high glycemic index and should be avoided as far as possible. Brown bread can be taken as it contains more fibres. All kind of wafers, biscuits even it is not sweet lies in medium or high glycemic index.

Glycemic index of Cereals

Among cereals bran is considered as best, pearl barley, instant or parboiled rice or kernel wheat should be preferred. Millets have the highest glycemic index among all cereals.

Glycemic index of dairy products

Most of the diabetics do not touch dairy product having a misconception that it may be of high glycemic index, but a fat free skimmed milk is ideal for them, yoghurts if taken without sugar is of very low glycemic index.

Glycemic index of Vegetables and fruits

All green vegetables with exception of broad beans are of low GI. Among fruits which should be avoided in diabetic or are of high GI are watermelon, mangoes, apricots, pineapple and raisins.

Though only carbohydrate content doesnt affect glycemic index, in fact there are a number of factors on which glycemic index of a food depends like its fibre content and viscosity of fibres, protein contents etc.

Vicks VapoRub can harm children less than 2 yrs

Vicks Vapo Rub, a common cold remedy, can cause respiratory distress in children under 2 when inappropriately applied directly under
the nose. US researchers said, “Using the Procter & Gamble Co product in this way can cause a young child's tiny airways to swell and fill with mucus, triggering severe breathing problems.” "The only problem we've seen is in a small child when it has been put under the nose," Dr. Bruce Rubin of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, said. Rubin said, “The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway. And since infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of an adult, any increase in mucus or swelling can narrow them severely.” "The company is really clear it should never go under the nose or in the nose for anybody and it shouldn't be used in children under 2," said Rubin. While the researchers only tested the Vicks product, Rubin said “Similar products, including generic versions, could cause the same negative effects in infants and toddlers.” Rubin and his colleagues began looking at use of the medication after treating an 18-month-old girl who developed respiratory distress after the salve was put under her nose. They studied ferrets, which have an airway anatomy similar to humans. In the animals with a chest infection, the product increased mucus secretion and decreased the animal's ability to clear mucus. "We were able to document changes that we think explain this," Rubin said. David Bernens, a spokesman for P&G, said the finding came as a surprise. "Vicks VapoRub has been proven safe and effective through multiple clinical trials. It has been in the market for over 100 years," Bernens said, noting that the label says the product should not be used in children under age 2 without a doctor's advice, and not under the nose. "We warn people not to do that," he said. Since the initial episode, emergency doctors at the medical center have begun asking all parents of children in respiratory distress if they used the Vicks product in a similar way and they have seen two more cases, Rubin said. "I recommend never putting Vicks in, or under, the nose of anybody - adult or child," Rubin said, adding that he would never use it in a child under age 2.

What is Hoodia Gordonii?

Hoodia Gordonii a appetite suppressant used in Africa is considered as good for abdominal cramps,  hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

Hoodia is a genus of succulent plants in the family Apocynaceae that is  widely used traditionally by the San people of southern Africa as an appetite  suppressant, thirst quencher and as a cure for severe abdominal cramps,  haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes. Various uses  have been recorded among Anikhwe (Northern Botswana), Hai om (northern Namibia  ), Khomani (north western South Africa ), and the !Xun and Khwe (originally from  Angola ) communities. Less is known about the use of this group of plants by  other indigenous people, but some records show limited use of Hoodia parts as  food items, albeit not as preferred food items. Hoodias are known to be used for  cultural purposes in some areas (Hargreaves and Turner, 2002). Although  relatively difficult to cultivate, Hoodia ' s are attractive plants and are also  used for horticultural purposes.

Hoodia Gordonii CSIRThe Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa  isolated an active compound (P57) for appetite suppression from H. gordonii .  The CSIR licensed the rights for further development of P57 and the setting up  of a sustainable production system to Phytopharm in the UK . Phytopharm in turn  sub licensed the rights to Pfizer for the development and global  commercialization. Pfizer has recently returned the clinical developmental  rights.