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Cited by 187Food composition and propertiesDiet, Metabolism, and DiseaseNutritional Studies and Diet

Prediction of postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in lean, young, healthy adults: glycemic load compared with carbohydrate content alone

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Bao, Jiansong, Atkinson, Fiona, Petocz, Peter, Willett, Walter C, Brand-Miller, Jennie C·2011·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
DOI 10.3945/ajcn.110.005033
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Abstract

Background Dietary glycemic load (GL; defined as the mathematical product of the glycemic index and carbohydrate content) is increasingly used in nutritional epidemiology. Its ability to predict postprandial glycemia and insulinemia for a wide range of foods or mixed meals is unclear.Objective Our objective was to assess the degree of association between calculated GL and observed glucose and insulin responses in healthy subjects consuming isoenergetic portions of single foods and mixed meals.Design In study 1, groups of healthy subjects consumed 1000-kJ portions of 121 single foods in 10 food categories. In study 2, healthy subjects consumed 2000-kJ servings of 13 mixed meals. Foods and meals varied widely in macronutrient content, fiber, and GL. Glycemia and insulinemia were quantified as area under the curve relative to a reference food (= 100).Results Among the single foods, GL was a more powerful predictor of postprandial glycemia and insulinemia than was the available carbohydrate content, explaining 85% and 59% of the observed variation, respectively (P < 0.001). Similarly, for mixed meals, GL was also the strongest predictor of postprandial glucose and insulin responses, explaining 58% (P = 0.003) and 46% (P = 0.01) of the variation, respectively. Carbohydrate content alone predicted the glucose and insulin responses to single foods (P < 0.001) but not to mixed meals.Conclusion These findings provide the first large-scale, systematic evidence of the physiologic validity and superiority of dietary GL over carbohydrate content alone to estimate postprandial glycemia and insulin demand in healthy individuals. This trial was registered at ANZCTR.org as ACTRN12610000484044.

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  • The analysis may partly explain why observational epidemiological studies have shown strong correlations between foods with high glycemic loads and weight gain, as consumption of such foods could lead to glucose dips and subsequent hunger.

    “Our analysis may partly explain why observational epidemiological ((27)(28)) studies have shown strong correlations between foods with high glycemic loads (such as potatoes and sugar sweetened beverages (29)) and weight gain – as consumption of such foods could lead to glucose dips and subsequent hunger.”

    From Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals (2021) · cites this paper as [27]

  • GL is a validated predictor of postprandial glycemia with consumption of typical foods, meals, or eating patterns.

    “GL is a validated predictor of postprandial glycemia with consumption of typical foods, meals, or eating patterns (32–34).”

    From The carbohydrate-insulin model: A physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as [32]

  • GI and glycemic load provide physiologically valid estimates of postprandial glycemia and insulin demand in healthy individuals.

    “The concepts of GI and glycemic load have been shown to provide physiologically valid estimates of postprandial glycemia and insulin demand in healthy individuals (35).”

    From High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analyses from the Women’s Health Initiative (2015) · cites this paper as [35]

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Authors
Bao, J., Atkinson, F., Petocz, P., Willett, W. C., & Brand-Miller, J. C.
Affiliations
The University of Sydney (AU)
Corresponding author
Brand-Miller, Jennie C
ORCID
Venue
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-05
Volume
93
Issue
5
Pages
984-996
ISSN
0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3945/ajcn.110.005033
OpenAlex
W2170253470
Cited by
187
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 9
FWCI
11.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Food composition and properties
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
Keywords
glycemic load, glycemic index, postprandial blood glucose, insulin levels, carbohydrate content, mixed meal, glycemic response, insulin response, healthy young adults
MeSH terms
Adult, Algorithms, Blood Glucose, Dietary Carbohydrates, Food, Food Analysis, Humans, Insulin, Thinness, Time Factors, Body Mass Index, Postprandial Period, Glycemic Index, Young Adult

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