Research
Macro partitioning
Total carbohydrate intake (grams) is the primary determinant of postprandial blood glucose response, explaining more variance than glycemic index alone.
Focus on counting total grams of carbohydrate first, as this has the biggest impact on your blood sugar. Use the Glycemic Index (GI) as a secondary tool to choose better sources of those carbohydrates, but do not ignore portion sizes by assuming low-GI foods can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Carbohydrate content (total grams) alone explained 68% of the variation in glycemic load, while the glycemic index of the food explained 49%... the amount of carbohydrate ingested... accounted for 57– 65% of the variability in glucose response, while the glycemic index of the carbohydrate explained a similar amount (60%) of the variance.
Why this rating
Based on multiple regression analyses and meta-analyses cited (Brand-Miller, Wolever), though observational variability exists.
Source
Dietary Carbohydrate (Amount and Type) in the Prevention and Management of Diabetes
Nancy F. Sheard et al. · Diabetes Care · 2004
narrative_reviewCited 471×
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