Insulin index

The insulin index of food represents how much it elevates the concentration of insulin in the blood during the two-hour period after the food is ingested. The index is similar to the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), but rather than relying on blood glucose levels, the Insulin Index is based upon blood insulin levels. The Insulin Index represents a comparison of food portions with equal overall caloric content (250 kcal or 1000 kJ), while GI represents a comparison of portions with equal digestible carbohydrate content (typically 50 g) and the GL represents portions of a typical serving size for various foods. The Insulin Index can be more useful than either the glycemic index or the glycemic load because certain foods (e.g., lean meats and proteins) cause an insulin response despite there being no carbohydrates present, and some foods cause a disproportionate insulin response relative to their carbohydrate load.

Holt et al.[1] have noted that the glucose and insulin scores of most foods are highly correlated,[2] but high-protein foods and bakery products that are rich in fat and refined carbohydrates "elicit insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses." They also conclude that insulin indices may be useful for dietary management and avoidance of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

Explanation of Index

The Insulin Index is not the same as a glycemic index (GI), which is based exclusively on the digestible carbohydrate content of food, and represents a comparison of foods in amounts with equal digestible carbohydrate content (typically 50 g). The insulin index compares foods in amounts with equal overall caloric content (240 kcal or 1000 kJ). Insulin indexes are scaled relative to white bread, while glycemic index scores nowadays are usually scaled with respect to pure glucose, although in the past white bread has been a reference point for GI measurements as well. In the chart below, glycemic and insulin scores show the increase in the blood concentration of each. A higher satiety score indicates how much less was eaten from a buffet after participants ate the listed food.

Mean average glucose,[1] insulin[1] and satiety scores[3]
FoodFood TypeGlycemic scoreInsulin score Satiety score
All-BranBreakfast cereal40 ± 732 ± 4151
PorridgeBreakfast cereal60 ± 1240 ± 4209
MuesliBreakfast cereal43 ± 746 ± 5100
Special KBreakfast cereal70 ± 966 ± 5116
HoneysmacksBreakfast cereal60 ± 767 ± 6132
SustainBreakfast cereal66 ± 671 ± 6112
CornflakesBreakfast cereal76 ± 1175 ± 8118
Average:Breakfast cereal59 ± 357 ± 3134
White bread (baseline)Carbohydrate-rich100 ± 0100 ± 0100
White pastaCarbohydrate-rich46 ± 1040 ± 5119
Brown pastaCarbohydrate-rich68 ± 1040 ± 5188
Grain bread[n 1]Carbohydrate-rich60 ± 1256 ± 6154
Brown riceCarbohydrate-rich104 ± 1862 ± 11132
French friesCarbohydrate-rich71 ± 1674 ± 12116
White riceCarbohydrate-rich110 ± 1579 ± 12138
Whole-meal bread[n 2]Carbohydrate-rich97 ± 1796 ± 12157
PotatoesCarbohydrate-rich141 ± 35121 ± 11323
Average:Carbohydrate-rich88 ± 674 ± 8158.6
EggsProtein-rich42 ± 1631 ± 6150
CheeseProtein-rich55 ± 1845 ± 13146
BeefProtein-rich21 ± 851 ± 16176
Lentils in tomato sauceProtein-rich62 ± 2258 ± 12133
FishProtein-rich28 ± 1359 ± 18225
Baked beans in tomato sauceProtein-rich114 ± 18120 ± 19168
Average:Protein-rich54 ± 761 ± 7166.3
ApplesFruit50 ± 659 ± 4197
OrangesFruit39 ± 760 ± 3202
BananasFruit79 ± 1081 ± 5118
GrapesFruit74 ± 982 ± 6162
Average:Fruit61 ± 571 ± 3169.75
PeanutsSnack/confectionery12 ± 420 ± 584
PopcornSnack/confectionery62 ± 1654 ± 9154
Potato chipsSnack/confectionery52 ± 961 ± 1491
Ice creamSnack/confectionery70 ± 1989 ± 1396
Low Fat Strawberry YogurtSnack/confectionery62 ± 15115 ± 1388
Mars BarsSnack/confectionery79 ± 13122 ± 1570
JellybeansSnack/confectionery118 ± 18160 ± 16118[n 3]
Average:Snack/confectionery65 ± 689 ± 7100.1
DoughnutsBakery product63 ± 1274 ± 968
CroissantsBakery product74 ± 979 ± 1447
CakeBakery product56 ± 1482 ± 1265
CrackersBakery product118 ± 2487 ± 12127
CookiesBakery product74 ± 1192 ± 15120
Average:Bakery product77 ± 783 ± 585.4
Average:Average 67.333 ± 5.7 72.5 ± 6 135.7
Average:ALL 68.8 ± 12.7105 72 ± 9.5 136
FoodFood TypeGlycemic index scoreInsulin index scoreSatiety score
  1. Rye bread containing 47% kibbled rye, Holt et al.
  2. Bread made from whole-meal wheat flour, Holt et al.
  3. the authors of the satiety study[3] stated that the amount of jellybeans consumed tended to make participants nauseated which may have produced an erroneous satiety score.

Glucose (glycemic) and insulin scores were determined by feeding 1000 kilojoules (239 kilocalories) of the food to the participants and recording the area under the glucose/insulin curve for 120 minutes then dividing by the area under the glucose/insulin curve for white bread. The result being that all scores are relative to white bread. The satiety score was determined by comparing how satiated participants felt within two hours after being fed a fixed number of calories (240 kilocalories) of a particular food while blindfolded (to ensure food appearance was not a factor), then dividing that number by how satiated the participants felt after eating white bread. White bread serves as the baseline of 100. In other words, foods scoring higher than 100 are more satisfying than white bread and those under 100 are less satisfying. The satiety score was negatively correlated to the amount eaten by participants at a subsequent buffet.

± indicate uncertainty in the data. For example 60 ± 12 means that there's a 95% chance the score is between 60-12 (48) and 60+12 (72), 60 being the highest probability assuming a bell curve. In practice this means that if two foods have large uncertainty and have values close together then you don't really know which score is the higher.

See also

References

  1. Holt, Susanne H.A.; Brand-Miller, Janette Cecile; Petocz, Peter (November 1997). "An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods" (PDF). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 66 (5): 1264–76. doi:10.1093/ajcn/66.5.1264. PMID 9356547.
  2. Cousens, Gabriel (2008). There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program. North Atlantic Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-55643-691-8.
  3. Holt, Susanne H.A.; Brand-Miller, Janette Cecile; Petocz, Peter; Farmakalidis, E. (September 1995). "A satiety index of common foods". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 49 (9): 675–690. PMID 7498104.
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