(Press-News.org) "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 wholewheat pasta", says Liza Rosén, doctor in applied nutrition at Lund University in Sweden.
The reason why 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.
Not only pasta, but also many rye bread products have this type of curve.
"White pasta has just as dense a structure as wholewheat pasta and therefore takes a long time to digest. The structure of a food is actually the most important parameter for the glucose response", says Liza Rosén.
Liza Rosén stresses that fibre is always good, but that it is not always present in high enough levels to have a significant effect on the blood glucose response. In addition, not all types of fibre are the same.
"There are a lot of high-fibre bread products in the supermarkets which gives the same blood glucose response as white wheat bread", she says.
However, the GP measuring system which Dr Rosén has developed provides a more accurate picture of the blood glucose response because it takes the curve's appearance into account. The flatter the curve the better the GP. Food which produces an even and reasonably low curve scores the best values.
In order to calculate the GP, the 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! 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", says Liza Rosén.
She stresses that the GP measurement is new and more research is needed. For example, sugary products have to be studied.
Research is also needed to test whether products with a high GP also have beneficial effects on blood sugar regulation in the longer term. Dr Rosén believes this is the case, but so far it is only a hypothesis. She has just landed a job in industry, but her former research colleagues have taken up the mantle.
"We are using the concept and will relate it to other parameters. For example, we suspect that products with a high GP keep you fuller longer, and that products with a high GP could improve blood sugar regulation not only in direct connection with a meal, but also at a later meal", says Elin Östman, associate professor in applied nutrition and Liza Rosén's supervisor.
INFORMATION:
For more information, please contact Liza Rosén, doctor in applied nutrition and food chemistry, +46 730 51 81 12, liza.rosen@fazer.com, or supervisor Elin Östman, associate professor in applied nutrition, +46 46 222 83 18, Elin.Ostman@appliednutrition.lth.se. Find out more at www.ffsc.lu.se/. A high-resolution photograph of Liza Rosén can be found in the Lund University image bank, http://bildweb.srv.lu.se/.
END
Designing fiber optic networks involves finding the most efficient way to connect phones and computers that are in different places – a costly and time-consuming process. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a model that can find optimal connections 10,000 times more quickly, using less computing power to solve the problem.
"Problems that used to take days to solve can now be solved in just a few seconds," says Dr. George Rouskas, computer science professor at NC State and author of a paper describing the new method. The model could solve ...
Targeted multi-drug treatments for hepatitis C patients that could stop the virus in its tracks have come a step closer, thanks to researchers at the University of Leeds, UK.
The study by Dr Stephen Griffin and colleagues, published in the journal Hepatology, reveals how two prototype small molecule drugs, known as p7 inhibitors, can each attack different parts of the hepatitis C virus. Their findings suggest that p7 inhibitors could be a powerful way of suppressing hepatitis C, when used together with the latest generation of 'direct-acting' drugs.
More than 170 million ...
Texts without spaces are not very legible, as they make it very difficult for the reader to identify where a word begins and where it ends. When genetic information in our cells is read and translated into proteins, the enzymes responsible for this task face a similar challenge. They must find the correct starting point for protein synthesis. Therefore, in organisms with no real nucleus, a point exists shortly before the start codon, to which the enzymes can bind particularly well. This helps them find the starting point itself. However, genes that do not have this sequence ...
RakeTheRake's rebranded website is offering online poker players an opportunity to win an autographed Pele shirt as part of its three months of relaunch promotions, running until 31 July 2011. The promotions provide an extra $100k+ of prizes in addition to the regular $500k+ of monthly promotions at RakeTheRake.com.
Pele memorabilia is highly sought after and never more so than when it carries his authentic autograph. This classic Brazil shirt, framed, and signed by the great man, is a replica of the one worn by him in 1970 when he became the first player to win three ...
Physical exercise has a positive effect on the formation of cells in the intervertebral discs. This is shown by a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), which is currently taking place in Gothenburg.
The study from the Sahlgrenska Academy shows that physical activity has a positive effect on cells in the intervertebral discs. The result is based on rats undergoing treadmill exercise. It was subsequently studied how many new cells in the intervertebral ...
A cellulose powder has been used increasingly for many years against allergic rhinitis. Still, there has been a shortage of scientific evidence for its efficacy in seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever), particularly in children. Now, however, scientists from the Sahlgrenska Academy and the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg have proven that the cellulose powder reduces symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis in children, without any adverse effects.
The powder is produced from pine trees and forms a barrier on the mucous membrane ...
Use of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy has long been a matter of concern but now researchers writing in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research report that even a high supplementation amount in healthy pregnant women was safe and effective in raising circulating vitamin D to a level thought by some to be optimal. The study also found no adverse effects of vitamin D supplementation, even at the highest amount, in women or their newborns.
The research team, led by Dr. Bruce Hollis from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, used a randomized controlled ...
Many reading tasks require individuals to not only read a document, but also to understand, learn from and retain the information in it. For this type of reading, experts recommend a process called active reading, which involves highlighting, outlining and taking notes on the text.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed software that facilitates an innovative approach to active reading. Taking advantage of touch-screen tablet computers, the LiquidText software enables active readers to interact with documents using finger motions. LiquidText ...
Beginning July 1, teenagers who are convicted of having consensual sex with a teen younger than 16 will no longer have their name added to Michigan's sex registry, provided they weren't more than four years older than their partner at the time of the offense.
Of equal importance, the new legislation also affords people who have already been convicted of this sex crime - under the aforementioned circumstances - to petition the court for their removal from the state sex registry. "This presents a rare opportunity for many people to clear their name - people who would ...
Children and adolescents who eat candy tend to weigh less than their non-consuming counterparts, according to a new study published in Food & Nutrition Research, a peer-reviewed journal.
This is potentially important news given the current state of the childhood obesity epidemic. But lead researcher Carol O'Neil, PhD, MPH, LDN, RD, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, wants to ensure the study is put into perspective.
"The study illustrates that children and adolescents who consume candy are less likely to be overweight or obese," O'Neil said. "However, ...
