Editing Glycemic index (section)

{{Short description|Number assigned to food}}
[[File:Suckale08 fig3 glucose insulin day.png|thumbnail|Graph depicting blood sugar change during a day with three meals.]]
The '''glycemic (glycaemic) index''' ('''GI'''; {{IPAc-en|ɡ|l|aɪ|ˈ|s|iː|m|ɪ|k}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/glycaemic-index |title=glycaemic index noun |work=Oxford Learner's Dictionary |access-date=2017-05-20 |archive-date=2017-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523201950/http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/glycaemic-index |url-status=live }}</ref>) is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to a food, with pure glucose arbitrarily given the value of 100, which represents the relative rise in the blood glucose level two hours after consuming that food.<ref name="glycemic1">{{cite web |url=http://www.glycemic.com/GlycemicIndex-LoadDefined.htm |title=Glycemic Index Defined |publisher=Glycemic Research Institute |access-date=2012-08-01 |archive-date=2018-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927161417/http://www.glycemic.com/GlycemicIndex-LoadDefined.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The GI of a specific food depends primarily on the type of [[carbohydrate]] it contains, but is also affected by the amount of entrapment of the carbohydrate molecules within the food, the fat, protein content of the food, the moisture and fiber content, the amount of organic acids (or their salts) (e.g., citric or acetic acid), and the method of cooking.  GI tables, which list many types of foods and their GIs, are available.<ref name="glycemicedge"/> A food is considered to have a  ''low GI'' if it is 55 or less; ''high GI'' if 70 or more; and ''mid-range GI'' if 56 to 69.

The term was introduced in 1981 by [[David J. Jenkins]] and co-workers and was created to compare the relative effects of different foods on postprandial glucose levels.<ref name="Jenkins1981">{{cite journal|last1=Jenkins|first1=FJ|last2=Wolever|first2=TM|last3=Taylor|first3=RH|last4=Barker|first4=H|last5=Fielden|first5=H|last6=Baldwin|first6=JM|last7=Bowling|first7=AC|last8=Newman|first8=HC|last9=Jenkins|first9=AL|last10=Goff|first10=DF|title=Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange|journal=Am J Clin Nutr|volume=34|issue=3|year=1981|pages=362–6|pmid=6259925|doi=10.1093/ajcn/34.3.362|url=http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(15)01481-6|access-date=2017-08-24|archive-date=2017-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702152546/http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(15)01481-6|url-status=live|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}</ref>  It is useful for quantifying the relative rapidity with which the body breaks down carbohydrates.<ref name="glycemicedge">{{cite journal|date=March 1, 1981|title=Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange|url=https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/34/3/362/4692881/|series=American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 34|pages=362–366|doi=10.1093/ajcn/34.3.362|last1=Jenkins|first1=D. J.|last2=Wolever|first2=T. M.|last3=Taylor|first3=R. H.|last4=Barker|first4=H.|last5=Fielden|first5=H.|last6=Baldwin|first6=J. M.|last7=Bowling|first7=A. C.|last8=Newman|first8=H. C.|last9=Jenkins|first9=A. L.|last10=Goff|first10=D. V.|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=34|issue=3|pmid=6259925|access-date=January 24, 2020|archive-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901122755/https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/34/3/362/4692881|url-status=live|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It takes into account only the available carbohydrate (total carbohydrate minus [[Dietary fiber|fiber]]) in a food. Glycemic index does not predict an individual's glycemic response to a food, but can be used as a tool to assess the insulin response burden of a food, averaged across a studied population. Individual responses vary greatly.<ref name="ZeeviKorem2015">{{cite journal|last1=Zeevi|first1=David|last2=Korem|first2=Tal|last3=Zmora|first3=Niv|last4=Israeli|first4=David|last5=Rothschild|first5=Daphna|last6=Weinberger|first6=Adina|last7=Ben-Yacov|first7=Orly|last8=Lador|first8=Dar|last9=Avnit-Sagi|first9=Tali|last10=Lotan-Pompan|first10=Maya|last11=Suez|first11=Jotham|last12=Mahdi|first12=Jemal Ali|last13=Matot|first13=Elad|last14=Malka|first14=Gal|last15=Kosower|first15=Noa|last16=Rein|first16=Michal|last17=Zilberman-Schapira|first17=Gili|last18=Dohnalová|first18=Lenka|last19=Pevsner-Fischer|first19=Meirav|last20=Bikovsky|first20=Rony|last21=Halpern|first21=Zamir|last22=Elinav|first22=Eran|author22-link=Eran Elinav |last23=Segal|first23=Eran|title=Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses|journal=Cell|volume=163|issue=5|year=2015|pages=1079–94 |pmid=26590418 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.001 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The glycemic index is usually applied in the context of the quantity of the food and the amount of carbohydrate in the food that is actually consumed.  A related measure, the [[glycemic load]] (GL),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avisregime.fr/quel-type-de-glucides-privilegier/|title=Glycemic Load|website=Avis Regime|access-date=12 May 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817020928/http://www.avisregime.fr/quel-type-de-glucides-privilegier/|url-status=live}}</ref> factors this in by multiplying the glycemic index of the food in question by the carbohydrate content of the actual serving.