The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of foods on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating (Visit Rick Mendosa site for examples).

Some foods on the Australian market already show their GI rating on the nutrition information panel. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet (1). The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recently recommended that people in industrialised countries should base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity (2). For more information visit Rick Mendosa's site

The GI of foods has important implications for the food industry. Terms such as complex carbohydrates and sugars, which commonly appear on food labels, are now recognised as having little nutritional or physiological significance. The WHO/FAO recommend that these terms be removed and replaced with the total carbohydrate content of the food and its GI value (2). However, the GI rating of a food must be tested physiologically and only a few nutrition research groups around the world currently provide a legitimate testing service. The Human Nutrition Unit at the University of Sydney has been at the forefront of glycemic index research for over a decade and has tested dozens of foods as an integral part of its program. Jennie Brand Miller (JBM) is the senior author of International Tables of Glycemic Index published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1995.

JBM's books, The GI Factor and related pocket books on diabetes, heart disease and weight reduction are aimed at lay people and health professionals, and have sold more than 100,000 copies in Australia since 1996 (3). The UK edition was released in 1997 and the North American edition (The Glucose Revolution) was released in July 1999. Dutch and French versions are currently under consideration. All versions include back-of-book tables of the GI values of some 350 different foods, many of them tested in the Human Nutrition Unit. Popular health books and articles in women's magazines by other authors on topics as diverse as breast cancer and weight loss have also included GI tables. These publications have generated an increasing demand for GI testing.

In the near future, many more foods are likely to carry the GI on their nutrition panel. The services of a professional GI testing service such as SUGiRS will therefore allow food companies to take advantage of GI marketing opportunities.

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