The body produces insulin in response to eating a certain food, and the insulin index measures the amount of insulin produced. Unlike the glycemic index, it does not just look at the increase in blood glucose levels, but the final hormonal response of the body.
In addition, the insulin index determines the insulin response for carbohydrate foods, as well as for protein and fat. This is important because the lactose in dairy products increases insulin production, as does too much fat in food.
Insulin index – what is it?
The insulin index is a direct extension of the glycemic index theory. Dr. Brand-Miller, a professor at the University of Sydney, developed it. It was through her scientific research on the mechanisms of carbohydrate digestion that the theory of the glycemic index was born in the 1990s.
The fundamental difference is that the amount of carbohydrates consumed with food is not always linearly related to the production of insulin for their processing. In other words, some foods lead to a higher hormonal response than others, such as cottage cheese, milk, and yogurt.
In addition, the body produces insulin when eating meat and chicken – however, traditionally the glycemic index does not consider them, since they do not contain carbohydrates. For these reasons, diabetics find the insulin index better suited to calculate insulin.
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone that ensures the penetration of glucose (a constituent element of carbohydrate foods) into the cells of the body. If there is insufficient insulin, the body cannot absorb carbohydrates from food, resulting in a dangerous buildup of sugar in the blood – causing type 1 diabetes.
At the same time, the inability of the body to use insulin is associated with type 2 diabetes, even though the level of its production may be normal. One of the causes of diabetes is the consumption of excessive amounts of simple carbohydrates. A typical consequence of type 2 diabetes is weight gain and obesity.
Differences from the glycemic index
A glycemic index-based diet for weight loss involves avoiding high GI foods (sweets, wheat flour pastries, white rice, potatoes), as well as moderate consumption of medium GI foods (rye bread, durum wheat pasta).
The main emphasis of such nutrition is on low GI foods that smoothly increase blood sugar levels – whole grains (buckwheat, quinoa, bulgur), fresh vegetables, and unsweetened fruits. The insulin index theory introduces two fundamental amendments.
First, we consider the impact of protein products, primarily meat, and fish, on the level of insulin in the blood. Secondly, data on various sweets and carbohydrate-rich foods are being clarified – despite the fact that they may have a moderate GI, their use leads to a significant release of insulin into the blood.
meat insulin index
Although protein foods do not contain carbohydrates, the body is able to convert the amino acids histidine, methionine, and valine into glucose. In this case, the body forms a “non-carbohydrate” form of glucose and stores it mainly in the muscles, liver, and kidneys.
Meat, chicken, and fish raise insulin levels in the blood – which is important for diabetics to consider when calculating the amount of insulin needed to administer. In fact, recent scientific research suggests that protein products have a glycemic index – a factor that was not taken into account before.
Food insulin index – tables
Note that the insulin index tables contain only average values that can vary up to 30% depending on a number of factors. First of all, the presence of food in the stomach affects – as well as the combination of foods eaten. Plus, the physical form of a person also affects the production of insulin.
For ease of use, researchers calculate the insulin index using a serving containing 240 kcal, whereas the glycemic index is calculated for a serving containing 50 g of net carbohydrates. That is, although the final volume of the product may be of a similar size, it may differ.
Glycemic and insulin index – comparison table:
| Food product | Glycemic index | insulin index |
| Sweets (sugar dragees) | 118±18 | 160±16 |
| chocolate bar | 79 ± 13 | 122±15 |
| Boiled potatoes | 141 ± 35 | 121 ± 11 |
| Yogurt | 62±15 | 115 ± 13 |
| White bread | 100±0 | 100±0 |
| Whole wheat bread | 97 ± 17 | 96 ± 12 |
| Cookie | 74 ± 11 | 92±15 |
| Ice cream | 70 ± 19 | 89 ± 13 |
| Cake | 56±14 | 82 ± 12 |
| Grape | 74 ± 9 | 82±6 |
| White rice | 110±15 | 79 ± 12 |
| Cornflakes | 76 ± 11 | 75±8 |
| French fries | 71 ± 16 | 74 ± 12 |
| Brown rice | 104±18 | 62 ± 11 |
| oranges | 39±7 | 60±3 |
| Fish | 28 ± 13 | 59 ± 18 |
| Apples | 50±6 | 59±4 |
| Lentils | 62 ± 22 | 58 ± 12 |
| Popcorn | 62±16 | 54 ± 9 |
| Beef | 21 ± 8 | 51 ± 16 |
| Muesli | 43 ± 7 | 46±5 |
| Cheese | 55±18 | 45 ± 13 |
| Pasta | 46 ± 10 | 40±5 |
| Eggs | 42±16 | 31±6 |
| Peanut | 12±4 | 20±5 |
Why do we need an insulin index?
We need the insulin index to control the level of insulin in the blood after eating food – in fact, it provides more practical information than the glycemic index. First of all, this data will be useful for people with diabetes, as well as for anyone who wants to lose weight.
It is also important that products containing lactose (milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt) provoke a sharp release of insulin into the blood – although they do not have a high GI at all. In addition, when combining high-insulin foods with fatty foods, the body synthesizes even more insulin – experts recommend avoiding such combinations.
The insulin index extends the glycemic index theory, but it emphasizes how much insulin the body produces. The key difference from GI is the study of protein products, as well as various combinations of ingredients. For example, studies have shown that the presence of lactose in food provokes a surge in insulin.