Pre Diabetes And The Glycemic Index – Here Is A Suggestion to Protect Your Pancreas
Pre diabetes is a condition that, as the name suggests, precedes or may precede type 2 diabetes. One important characteristic of pre diabetes is that it can be reversed.
Diabetes is a medical condition that is associated with insulin resistance. Insulin is produced in the pancreas. The level of insulin produced at any moment is directly dependent on the circulating blood sugar level. If there is more glucose in the blood as occurs after a meal, the pancreas responds by putting our more insulin.
In the case of insulin resistance, the pancreas must put out relatively more insulin to drive the glucose out of the blood and into the cells. The glycemic index or G.I. is a table of values comparing each food item to glucose with respect to that food’s ability to raise the blood sugar level.
Glucose has a value or 1.0. Very few foods go above this level. The higher the table value of the food item, the faster and higher the blood sugar rises after eating that food. As a result, the pancreas has to work harder to lower the blood glucose level. Add to this the presence of insulin resistance and you can begin to understand how the cells in the pancreas may lose their ability to produce insulin. Much of the time the sugar load was too high. Over time, pre diabetes can become type 2 diabetes or even type 1 diabetes where there is no insulin in the body. The pancreatic cells have been burned out.
Many people suggest that a person become familiar with the glycemic index of their favorite foods. If it can be done, substitute foods with a lower glycemic number for foods with a higher number. There are some other practical suggestions that come from the glycemic table. Processed foods as a class usually carry higher G.I. numbers. Fruits and vegetables tend to be lower than 55. 55 is the number to shoot for when selecting foods that are lower in terms of the G.I.
There is one other item that you may want to consider. Protein food items tend to be associated with lower glycemic index numbers. In fact, mixing protein with sugar delays the sugar from entering the body’s blood stream and thus make for less stress on the pancreas.
One way to protect your pancreas is to “cover” high sugar foods with a little bit of protein at the same time. A small piece of meat or cheese will lessen the effects of the sugar on the pancreas.