How many milligrams of blood sugar per deciliter does one slice of bread raise?
What is the glycemic index and the glycemic load?
The answer is in this report with tips on healthy breads.
How much does a slice of bread raise blood sugar?
According to the UK's Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, it breaks down all carbohydrates, whether starches or sugars, into glucose, raising blood glucose levels.
So if you eat too many carbohydrates at a meal your blood glucose levels can get too high (hyperglycemia).
As a general rule, every 10 grams of carbohydrate raises blood sugar levels by 2-3 mmol/L, which equates to 36-54 milligrams of sugar per deciliter, according to a publication for diabetics.
And 1 mmol/L is equivalent to 18 milligrams of sugar per deciliter.
One slice of bread weighing about 25 grams contains 12 grams of carbohydrates, meaning that eating a slice of bread raises blood sugar within the value we mentioned earlier or slightly higher.
Emphasizing that this number is estimated, and it includes the patient's weight, the amount of his muscles, the condition of the pancreas, and whether he is taking oral medication or insulin.
Carbohydrates and blood sugar
According to Harvard University, when people eat food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible material into sugar, which enters the blood.
As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage.
As blood sugar is absorbed by cells, levels in the bloodstream begin to drop, and then the pancreas begins to produce glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to start releasing stored sugar.
This interaction between insulin and glucagon ensures that cells throughout the body, especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar.
Carbohydrate metabolism is important in the development of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it makes.
Glycemic index
In the past, carbohydrates were generally classified as either "simple" or "complex", and were described as follows:
simple carbohydrates
These carbohydrates are composed of sugars (such as fructose and glucose) that have simple chemical structures consisting of only one sugar (monosaccharides) or two disaccharides (disaccharides).
Simple carbohydrates are easily and quickly used for energy by the body due to their simple chemical structure, which often leads to a faster rise in blood sugar and insulin secretion from the pancreas, and may have negative health effects.
complex carbohydrates
These carbohydrates have more complex chemical structures, with 3 or more sugars linked together (known as oligosaccharides and polysaccharides).
Many foods that contain complex carbohydrates contain fiber, vitamins and minerals, and take longer to digest, which means they have less direct impact on blood sugar, which causes it to rise more slowly.
But other foods called complex carbohydrates such as white bread and white potatoes contain mostly starch but little fiber or other beneficial nutrients.
However, the division of carbohydrates into simple and complex does not explain the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar and chronic diseases.
To explain how different types of carbohydrate-rich foods directly affect blood sugar, the glycemic index was developed and is considered a better way to classify carbohydrates, especially starchy foods.
The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 based on how quickly and by how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating.
Foods with a high glycemic index, such as white bread, are digested quickly and cause large fluctuations in blood sugar, while foods with a low glycemic index, such as whole oats, are digested more slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar.
Low-GI foods have a GI rating of 55 or less, foods rated 70-100 are considered high-glycemic foods, and medium-level foods have a GI of 56 to 69.
Eating many foods with a high glycemic index - which cause a sharp spike in blood sugar - can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain.
On the other hand, foods with a low glycemic index have been shown to help control type 2 diabetes and improve weight loss.
Glycemic load
The only thing a food's glycemic index doesn't tell us is how much digestible carbohydrates—the total amount of carbohydrates excluding fiber—it provides.
That's why researchers have developed a related method for categorizing foods that takes into account the amount of carbohydrates in the food in relation to their effect on blood sugar levels.
This measure is called the glycemic load.
The glycemic load of a food is determined by multiplying the glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrates that the food contains.
In general, a glycemic load of 20 or greater is high, 11 to 19 is medium, and 10 or less is low.
For good health, choose foods with a low or medium glycemic load, and limit foods with a high glycemic load.
Foods that have a low glycemic load
The following foods have a glycemic index of 10 or less
bran cereal
apple
orange
beans
black beans
lentils
Wheat tortilla
cashews
Peanuts
carrots
Foods with a medium glycemic load (11-19)
Brown rice: 3/4 cup cooked
Oatmeal: 1 cup cooked
Bulgur: 3/4 cup cooked
Whole grain bread: 1 slice
Whole grain pasta: 1 and 1/4 cups cooked
Foods with a high glycemic load (20+)
Baked potatoes
French fries
Refined breakfast cereal: 1 oz
Sugar-sweetened drinks: 12 oz
candy bars
White Basmati Rice: 1 cup cooked
Pasta made with white flour: 1 and 1/4 cup cooked
Types of healthy bread help in diet and weight loss
It is important when following a diet to lose weight, to pay attention to the amount of food eaten in addition to the quality of this food.
If the diet you want to follow includes bread, you should pay attention to the type of bread that is chosen and eaten in moderation, according to a report in Deutsche Welle.
Nutrition experts advise avoiding white bread because of the way it is manufactured and processed in a way that it loses many important nutrients and contains a high percentage of calories.
Therefore, eating this type of bread always will inevitably lead to weight gain, because most of this bread is made of processed grains and sugar, which are quickly broken down to be stored in the body in the form of fat.
And according to what was published by the American “She Finds” website, American nutritionist Lisa Richards advises choosing whole wheat bread or other types of bread made from whole grains that have not been processed.
Richards explains that the fiber in wholegrain cereal aids weight loss "because it contains important nutrients that provide a feeling of fullness and satiety, give energy for exercise, and most importantly, reduce the likelihood of eating more later."
According to what was published by the American “Healthline” website, there are many types of healthy bread that may help in losing weight if eaten in moderation, such as:
Whole grain bread
This type of bread does not raise blood sugar like other grains, which makes it a good choice for people with diabetes or poor blood sugar control who are trying to lose weight.
Whole wheat bread
Which contains the germ, endosperm, and bran, which has a high percentage of fiber, and also contains protein, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds. Therefore, whole wheat grains are an ideal source of fiber, and are considered more nutritious than refined grains, which have been processed.
oat bread
Oatmeal bread is usually made from a mixture of oats, whole wheat flour, yeast, water, and salt.
Since oats are so nutritious and linked to a number of health benefits, they can be a healthy choice as well.
Flaxseed bread
Flax bread, which is mainly made from whole grain flour and flaxseeds, is one of the healthiest bread options you can eat.
It is a rich source of magnesium, potassium and selenium.
Flaxseed bread also contains essential fatty acids and dietary fibre.