Can eating a high carbohydrate diet make us fatter?
Eating too much energy makes us fat, not necessarily eating too much of any one energy nutrient such as carbohydrate. Without question eating a high carbohydrate diet in conjunction with eating excessive energy will certainly support weight (fat) gain, so too will excessive fat and/or protein. One of the reasons that carbohydrates have been bashed as of late is because of the effects of insulin upon stored fat. Insulin hinders the release of fat from adipose tissue. Therefore many dieters believe that carbohydrates, or more specifically insulin, are working against them. However, this function of insulin is very important in the normal scheme of things. By design, insulin keeps the fat tissue from breaking down and releasing fat during and for a couple hours after a meal. At this time absorbed food energy nutrients are circulating in our blood so there would be no need to break down our fat stores. Insulin will also promote the formation of fat from excess diet energy. So, the combination of decreased fat breakdown and increased fat production may lead people to believe that insulin makes them fat!
Before we dismiss the notion that insulin is working against people in their quest to lose body fat we should recognize that many people have elevated insulin and glucose levels during fasting. More times than not this occurs in people who have a higher level of body fat and low levels of activity. Thus eating a higher carbohydrate diet may indeed work against them to some degree. And, eating a lower carbohydrate diet would allow for more fat to be used for energy.
What is glycemic index?
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As expected the level of circulating glucose increases after eating a carbohydrate-containing meal. But to what level and will different foods having the same amount of carbohydrate result in the same increase in blood glucose? This kind of information surely would be of interest to many people such as those managing their blood glucose levels (e.g. diabetes). As shown in the Glucose Tolerance Figure, the level of glucose circulating in the blood increases after eating or drinking a carbohydrate containing food or beverage and then is reduced back toward the normal fasting level. This response is often referred to as a glucose tolerance curve and it can be used to assess how well a person’s body is able to take glucose out of the blood and use it for energy and to build stores |
Since different foods will produce a different glucose tolerance curve patterns, scientists developed the Glycemic Index. Simply put, glycemic index is a measure of the power of carbohydrate containing foods to raise blood glucose levels after being eaten or drank. In addition to people managing their blood glucose levels, glycemic index has become popular for many people trying to lose weight. See Glycemic Index and Load Table 4.4 for standard levels for glycemic index and load.
For a long time, it was assumed that because starch was more structurally complex than simpler sugars, starchy foods would be digested more slowly and therefore absorbed more slowly and evenly after a meal. On the other hand, foods containing simpler sugars (e.g., soda, candy) would be digested and absorbed more rapidly, leading to a faster and greater rise in blood glucose. However, the relationship between different foods and blood glucose turned out to be more complex, which is why the determination of glycemic index for individual foods has been helpful.
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