Glycaemic indices and glycaemic loads of common Korean carbohydrate-rich foods

Abstract

Glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) values of foods consumed in Asia remain poorly characterised despite the fact that Asian diets are high in carbohydrates. We evaluated the GI and GL of the most commonly consumed carbohydrate-rich foods, according to food type and cooking methods. GI and GL values were determined using protocols from the FAO/WHO and International Standards Organization recommendations. A total of 152 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. In all, forty-nine carbohydrate-rich foods were categorised as cereal grains, noodles and pasta, breads and other processed grains and starchy vegetables, prepared using standard cooking methods and evaluated. Cereal grains had the widest range of GI values that the food made with white rice and barley had GI values of 51–93 and 35–70, respectively, according to cooking methods, and most cereal grains had high GL values. Noodles and pasta had low to medium GI values, but most foods had high GL values. Breads had medium to high GI and GL values, while other processed grains had low to medium GI and GL values. The GI values for food made with starchy vegetables (e.g. potatoes and sweet potatoes) varied widely for different cooking methods but tended to have low GL values. In conclusion, GI values for a single food type varied widely with the cooking method used. This study of GI and GL values for common carbohydrate-rich foods provides a valuable reference for consumers and health professionals to make informed food choices for glycaemic control.

Associations of Dietary Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load and Carbohydrate with the Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Cervical Cancer: A Case-Control Study

“…Korean diets involve a high intake of carbohydrate rich foods such as cereal grains, bread, noodles and pasta, and starchy vegetables [53]. Japanese diets have high GI and GL values of 65-67 and 141-185, respectively [54].…”

Adherence to Low-Carbohydrate Diets in Patients with Diabetes: A Narrative Review

“…A higher carbohydrate diet was associated with lower intake of energy and saturated fats, including more grains and fruit but less meat, fish, eggs, beans, and dairy. 78 Noodles are often used as the main ingredient in Korean meals and are additionally noted to have high glycemic loads and are usually eaten in larger than recommend serving sizes 79 Similarly, a typical Thai meal involves many complementary dishes, which are served together with rice. 80 The importance of rice is reflected by one of the most common greetings, “kin khaao reuu yang?” (Have you consumed rice yet?).…”

Reducing the glycemic impact of carbohydrates on foods and meals: Strategies for the food industry and consumers with special focus on Asia

“…In this case, there are also white rice varieties that may be of lower GI such as basmati rice (GI = 50 g ), if ones diet originally consisted of higher GI varieties such as glutinous (GI = 92 g ) or short grain rice (GI = 70 g ) (Kaur, Ranawana, & Henry, ; Kim, Kim, & Lim, ; Ranawana, Henry, Lightowler, & Wang, ). Readers are referred to Kaur et al.…”

“…As mentioned previously, a strategy to reduce glycemic impact of these starch products is to use alternative starches with structural features such as larger granule sizes, or type‐B polymorphic starches from tubers to reduce digestibility. For example, mung bean starch can be used in lieu of sweet potato starch, as the GI of mung bean starch noodles (GI = 28 b ; Lin, Wu, Lu, & Lin, ) is lower than sweet potato starch noodles (GI = 60 g ; Kim et al., ). Nonetheless, using alternative starches is more challenging because not all starches (especially waxy starches) form gels, and they may also not provide the textural or visual properties desired in certain products.…”