Carbohydrate quality, glycemic index and Glycemic Index (food) of selected tropical Indian fruits

Kasturi Sen Ray; Pooja R Singhania; Tilottama Bose; Poonam Anant Kolekar

Volume : VI, Issue : II, February - 2017

Carbohydrate quality, glycemic index and Glycemic Index (food) of selected tropical Indian fruits

Kasturi Sen Ray, Pooja R Singhania, Tilottama Bose, Poonam Anant Kolekar

Abstract :

Fruits have the potential to reduce risk of communicable and non–communicable diseases due to the vast range of micronutrients and bioactive compounds present but certain sweet fruits are restricted in the diet of individuals with metabolic disorders because only available carbohydrates are considered while estimating GI. GI_food, which uses equi–quantity based comparisons, is a more practical index for measuring glycemic quality. Blood sugar response to specific quantity (50g) of selected Indian tropical fruits (Apple, Sapota, Watermelon, and Banana) was recorded in fasting state and at every half hour interval upto 2 hours upon consuming the fruit and compared with that of same amount of white ead (reference food). It was observed that ead induced significantly higher glycemic response compared to fruits (p<0.05) indicating that type of sugar present affects blood glucose with starch being more hyperglycemic than fructose. Fruits with higher moisture content such as watermelon (18g) and apple (29g) were shown to have lower glycemic impact than sapota (44g) and banana (36g) when compared on equi–quantity basis contrary to their GI value which was highest for watermelon (103). When glycemic response to 100g banana was tested, the GI_food value increased by 30% compared to 50g indicating its dose–responsiveness as opposed to GI which is insensitive to change in food quantity. It can be concluded that even in individuals with diabetes, fruits can be included in moderation with careful selection of the type and amount.