The good, the bad and the ugly

What kind of carbs should I eat?

 Epidemiological studies suggest that excessive and chronic postprandial glycaemia may be related to the onset of food-related diseases (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular diseases).   The glycaemia (the blood glucose concentration) depends on:

·         the rate of intestinal carbohydrate absorption,

·         glucose uptake by different tissues (liver, muscles, brain, blood cells, etc.);

·         insulin⁽¹⁾ secretion and the sensitivity of the tissues (muscle and adipose tissues) to insulin.

It has been hypothesized that a stable blood glucose level could help to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; this means we need to avoid an excessive rise of glycaemia and insulin secretion.  To maintain stable the glycaemia it is necessary to control the type and the amount of carbs we eat.

We should  prefer those carbs which produce a low blood glucose response. A simply way to discriminate amongst  different types of carbs (good, bad and ugly) is the concept of glycaemic index, which measures how quickly blood sugar increases after a meal. We should eat mainly carbs with low glycaemic index, which are those present in fruit and vegetables, legumes and whole grains. We should reduce the amount of refined carbs deriving from white breads, pasta, pizza, biscuits, cakes; we should avoid soft drinks (full of sucrose) and product containing fructose or glucose syrup (e.g. candies). Another factor influencing the glycaemic response is the amount of carbs we consume each meal. Regardless the glycaemic index, exceeding the amount of carbs required will produce an excessive rise of glycaemia and insulin secretion.

In the end, we can summarize:

·         eat less carbs (I’m pretty sure you eat more than what you need);

·         prefer carbs from fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes and whole grains;

·         minimize the consumption of refined carbs

Ciao and take care.

Francesco

 

(1)    Insulin is the hormone secreted by pancreas and is responsible for stimulating the uptake of glucose by peripheral tissues (adipocytes and muscles) and liver.