Glycaemic index and glycaemic load of selected popular foods consumed in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to determine the glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) values of standard portion sizes of Southeast Asian traditional foods. A total of fifteen popular Southeast Asian foods were evaluated. Of these foods, three were soft drinks, while the other twelve were solid foods commonly consumed in this region. In total, forty-seven healthy participants (eighteen males and twenty-nine females) volunteered to consume either glucose at least twice or one of the fifteen test foods after a 10 -12 h overnight fast. Blood glucose concentrations were analysed before consumption of the test food, and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after food consumption, using capillary blood samples. The GI value of each test food was calculated by expressing the incremental area under the blood glucose response curve (IAUC) value of the test food as a percentage of each participant's average IAUC value, with glucose as the reference food. Among the fifteen foods tested, six belonged to low-GI foods (Ice Green Tea, Beehoon, Pandan Waffle, Curry Puff, Youtiao and Kaya Butter Toast), three belonged to medium-GI foods (Barley Drink, Char Siew Pau and Nasi Lemak), and the other six belonged to high-GI foods (Ice Lemon Tea, Chinese Carrot Cake, Chinese Yam Cake, Chee Cheong Fun, Lo Mai Gai and Pink Rice Cake). The GI and GL values of these traditional foods provide valuable information to consumers, researchers and dietitians on the optimal food choice for glycaemic control. Moreover, our dataset provides GI values of fifteen foods that were not previously tested extensively, and it presents values of foods commonly consumed in Southeast Asia.

Glycemic Index of Some Traditional Fruits in Jamaica

“…The low glucose peak displayed by June plum and cucumber may lead to low demand for insulin secretion from pancreatic Beta-cells. These are promising results in terms of their recommendation to patients with diabetes as well as healthy subjects [3,6,19,20].…”

“…The higher the GL of the food, the greater the rise of blood glucose and insulin levels. Long-term consumption of a high GL diet has been linked with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and related complications [4,8,12,[14][15][16][17] Research has shown that consuming low GI foods is a possible inexpensive dietary alternative in the management of diabetes [3,6,[18][19][20].…”

Does the ingestion of a 24 hour low glycaemic index Asian mixed meal diet improve glycaemic response and promote fat oxidation? A controlled, randomized cross-over study

“…It is the first study to corroborate that by constructing a 24 h low GI diet using local foods described as low GI, that these low GI Asian foods are capable of reducing 24 h glycaemic response and glycaemic variability and simultaneously promote fat oxidation over carbohydrate oxidation. The study expanded on previous work from our group on glycaemic index of single Asian foods on glucose response [13] and now included the measurement of substrate oxidation using a whole body calorimeter. The results are in line with the hypothesis that high GI foods result in hyperinsulinemia which in turn leads to less fat oxidation and possibly increased fat deposition [17, 37].…”

“…With the lack of published GI values of local foods, Henry and colleagues among others conducted several studies which determined the GI values of local commonly consumed foods, that were not previously tested [13]. The GI values of local foods provide valuable information to consumers, researchers and dietitians to optimize food choice for glycaemic control.…”

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

“…Co‐ingestion of both soymilk and dairy milk with bread significantly lowered blood glucose response, with soymilk eliciting a higher insulin response (Sun et al., ). Free amino acids had greater efficacy in limiting postprandial blood glucose than whole proteins when co‐ingested with carbohydrates (Soong, Lim, et al., ; Sun, Tan, et al., ).…”