The insulin index of food represents how much it elevates the concentration of insulin in the blood during the two-hour period after the food is ingested. The index is similar to the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), but rather than relying on blood glucose levels, the Insulin Index is based upon blood insulin levels. The Insulin Index represents a comparison of food portions with equal overall caloric content (250 kcal or 1000 kJ), while GI represents a comparison of portions with equal digestible carbohydrate content (typically 50 g) and the GL represents portions of a typical serving size for various foods. The Insulin Index can be more useful than either the glycemic index or the glycemic load because certain foods (e.g., lean meats and proteins) cause an insulin response despite there being no carbohydrates present, and some foods cause a disproportionate insulin response relative to their carbohydrate load.

Holt et al.[1] have noted that the glucose and insulin scores of most foods are highly correlated,[2] but high-protein foods and bakery products that are rich in fat and refined carbohydrates "elicit insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses." They also conclude that insulin indices may be useful for dietary management and avoidance of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

Explanation of Index

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The Insulin Index is not the same as a glycemic index (GI), which is based exclusively on the digestible carbohydrate content of food, and represents a comparison of foods in amounts with equal digestible carbohydrate content (typically 50 g). The insulin index compares foods in amounts with equal overall caloric content (240 kcal or 1000 kJ). Insulin indexes are scaled relative to white bread, while glycemic index scores nowadays are usually scaled with respect to pure glucose, although in the past white bread has been a reference point for GI measurements as well. In the chart below, glycemic and insulin scores show the increase in the blood concentration of each. A higher satiety score indicates how much less was eaten from a buffet after participants ate the listed food.

Mean average glucose,[1] insulin[1] and satiety scores[3]
Food Food Type Glycemic score Insulin score Satiety score
All-Bran Breakfast cereal 40 ± 7 32 ± 4 151
Porridge Breakfast cereal 60 ± 12 40 ± 4 209
Muesli Breakfast cereal 43 ± 7 46 ± 5 100
Special K Breakfast cereal 70 ± 9 66 ± 5 116
Honeysmacks Breakfast cereal 60 ± 7 67 ± 6 132
Sustain Breakfast cereal 66 ± 6 71 ± 6 112
Cornflakes Breakfast cereal 76 ± 11 75 ± 8 118
Average: Breakfast cereal 59 ± 3 57 ± 3 134
White bread (baseline) Carbohydrate-rich 100 ± 0 100 ± 0 100
White pasta Carbohydrate-rich 46 ± 10 40 ± 5 119
Brown pasta Carbohydrate-rich 68 ± 10 40 ± 5 188
Grain bread[n 1] Carbohydrate-rich 60 ± 12 56 ± 6 154
Brown rice Carbohydrate-rich 104 ± 18 62 ± 11 132
French fries Carbohydrate-rich 71 ± 16 74 ± 12 116
White rice Carbohydrate-rich 110 ± 15 79 ± 12 138
Whole-meal bread[n 2] Carbohydrate-rich 97 ± 17 96 ± 12 157
Potatoes Carbohydrate-rich 141 ± 35 121 ± 11 323
Average: Carbohydrate-rich 88 ± 6 74 ± 8 158.6
Eggs Protein-rich 42 ± 16 31 ± 6 150
Cheese Protein-rich 55 ± 18 45 ± 13 146
Beef Protein-rich 21 ± 8 51 ± 16 176
Lentils in tomato sauce Protein-rich 62 ± 22 58 ± 12 133
Fish Protein-rich 28 ± 13 59 ± 18 225
Baked beans in tomato sauce Protein-rich 114 ± 18 120 ± 19 168
Average: Protein-rich 54 ± 7 61 ± 7 166.3
Apples Fruit 50 ± 6 59 ± 4 197
Oranges Fruit 39 ± 7 60 ± 3 202
Bananas Fruit 79 ± 10 81 ± 5 118
Grapes Fruit 74 ± 9 82 ± 6 162
Average: Fruit 61 ± 5 71 ± 3 169.75
Peanuts Snack/confectionery 12 ± 4 20 ± 5 84
Popcorn Snack/confectionery 62 ± 16 54 ± 9 154
Potato chips Snack/confectionery 52 ± 9 61 ± 14 91
Ice cream Snack/confectionery 70 ± 19 89 ± 13 96
Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt Snack/confectionery 62 ± 15 115 ± 13 88
Mars Bars Snack/confectionery 79 ± 13 122 ± 15 70
Jellybeans Snack/confectionery 118 ± 18 160 ± 16 118[n 3]
Average: Snack/confectionery 65 ± 6 89 ± 7 100.1
Doughnuts Bakery product 63 ± 12 74 ± 9 68
Croissants Bakery product 74 ± 9 79 ± 14 47
Cake Bakery product 56 ± 14 82 ± 12 65
Crackers Bakery product 118 ± 24 87 ± 12 127
Cookies Bakery product 74 ± 11 92 ± 15 120
Average: Bakery product 77 ± 7 83 ± 5 85.4
Average: Average 67.333 ± 5.7 72.5 ± 6 135.7
Average: ALL 68.8 ± 12.7105 72 ± 9.5 136
Food Food Type Glycemic index score Insulin index score Satiety score
  1. ^ Rye bread containing 47% kibbled rye, Holt et al.
  2. ^ Bread made from whole-meal wheat flour, Holt et al.
  3. ^ the authors of the satiety study[3] stated that the amount of jellybeans consumed tended to make participants nauseated which may have produced an erroneous satiety score.

Glucose (glycemic) and insulin scores were determined by feeding 1000 kilojoules (239 kilocalories) of the food to the participants and recording the area under the glucose/insulin curve for 120 minutes then dividing by the area under the glucose/insulin curve for white bread. The result being that all scores are relative to white bread. The satiety score was determined by comparing how satiated participants felt within two hours after being fed a fixed number of calories (240 kilocalories) of a particular food while blindfolded (to ensure food appearance was not a factor), then dividing that number by how satiated the participants felt after eating white bread. White bread serves as the baseline of 100. In other words, foods scoring higher than 100 are more satisfying than white bread and those under 100 are less satisfying. The satiety score was negatively correlated to the amount eaten by participants at a subsequent buffet.

± indicate uncertainty in the data. For example 60 ± 12 means that there's a 95% chance the score is between 60-12 (48) and 60+12 (72), 60 being the highest probability assuming a bell curve. In practice this means that if two foods have large uncertainty and have values close together then you don't really know which score is the higher.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Holt, Susanne H.A.; Brand-Miller, Janette Cecile; Petocz, Peter (November 1997). "An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods" (PDF). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 66 (5): 1264–76. doi:10.1093/ajcn/66.5.1264. PMID 9356547.
  2. ^ Cousens, Gabriel (2008). There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program. North Atlantic Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-55643-691-8.
  3. ^ a b Holt, Susanne H.A.; Brand-Miller, Janette Cecile; Petocz, Peter; Farmakalidis, E. (September 1995). "A satiety index of common foods". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 49 (9): 675–690. PMID 7498104.
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