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THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX AND WEIGHT REDUCTION
Foods with a low GI factor are digested slowly and release sugar into the blood
stream in a slow consistent trickle. Consequently, they fill you up and keep
your hunger satisfied for longer. Moreover, by maintaining a steady level of
available glucose for fuel they enable you to burn more of your body fat without
resorting to breaking down muscle protein for energy.
Carbohydrates are natural appetite suppressants
When you eat a carbohydrate rich meal your body responds by secreting the hormone
insulin form the pancreas. Insulin signals the fed-state and stimulates the
storage of fuels such as glucose. The greater the rise in blood-sugar, the more
insulin produced. Glucose is stored as Glycogen in the liver and the muscles.
This storage facility however has a limited capacity, any excess glucose that
cannot be stored as glycogen enters the adipose (fat) cells of the body and
stimulates the production of triacylglycerides. Consequently, if an individual's
blood-sugar constantly fluctuates above the maximum storage capacity the excess
glucose that they ingest will be stored as fat. Foods with a high GI factor
raise blood-sugar levels very high very rapidly and are therefore likely to
push glucose levels above that that can be stored by the body as glycogen. High
GI foods are therefore likely to promote the storage of fat. Foods with a low
GI factor raise blood-sugar levels slowly and steadily, just enough to keep
supplies of glycogen topped up without stimulating fat synthesis.
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