Kasturi Sen Ray
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India
Title: Assesment of quality of dietary carbohydrates for normal and Diabetic subjects
Biography
Biography: Kasturi Sen Ray
Abstract
Dietary management of diabetes focuses on maintaining the postprandial blood sugar levels close to normal. In patients with diabetes mellitus the metabolism of carbohydrates is completely deranged. Effective management of blood sugars in such patients requires careful selection of the quality and quantity of CHO. The glycemic and insulin response to food may vary widely in normal and diabetic subjects. There are many food restrictions and taboos that govern food intake in these subjects. However, some of these are misleading, propagated by incomplete data regarding specific impact of foods on postprandial metabolism. Since 1981, Glycemic Index (GI) was used to assess glycemic quality of foods on equi-carbohydrate basis. But, we do not consume carbohydrate in isolation but rather food as a whole, along with the co-nutrients as proteins, fats, fiber, which influence the glycemic and insulinemic responses of food. The quantity of food consumed varies from person to person and GI value does not reflect the change in the impact. Therefore, the concept of glycemic index food (GIfood) based on equi-quantity comparison of whole food was used to compare glycemic response to some common CHO rich food. GIfood and IIfood may help in control and management of postprandial metabolism in individuals with type 2 diabetes. GIfood value, being expressed in gm units, can be included in the Food Exchange table to predict response to common serving sizes of food consumed.
