Glycemic index

During the1980’s, the glycemic index (GI) was proposed as a mean to rank the carbohydrates in food according to the effect they have on the glucose levels after eating.  In summary, the glycemic index measures how fast a food raises the glucose level in blood.

In general, foods with a low GI increase more slowly the glucose levels in the body, while the ones with a high GI are more quickly digested and can increase the glucose levels very fast.

No all carbohydrates have the same effect on the body. Some cause a very fast increase of sugar on the blood, while others work more slowly, which allows a more constant sugar level. The glycemic index addresses those differences by giving a number to the foods according to how fast they increase the glucose levels in blood, compared with pure glucose.

The GI scale goes from 0 to 100. Pure glucose has the higher GI index and it is assigned a value of 100. The agave syrup’s value is 21, this places it on the range of products with low glycemic index.

The absorption rate of the glucose, and the extend and duration of the high levels of glucose in blood are the cause of a lot of hormonal and metabolic changes that may affect health or provoke an illness. The low GI diets may be helpful for weight maintenance, weight loss and even protect against chronic illnesses and hearth diseases. Therefore, the interest in identifying which foods have a low GI and the factor that affects the GI value of the food, has increased.

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