@w7g2000hsa.googlegroups.com:
nfo.
on
ilar,
ir
lycemic
eforms
simple
owle.H.C.shtml
Hey Kris,
I hear what you are saying. Believe me. I used to think the exact same thing for a very long time. I was as surprised as anyone to hear this, but recent research does in fact confirm the findings:
The complexity of the carbohydrate (simple or otherwise) is NOT the defining characteristic when it comes to determining how rapidly a particular food may or may not be digested. (Re-read that if you have to, because I agree with you that it flies in the face of decades of research!) Also, let me state that I am NOT a doctor or a nutrition specialist. So hear the podcast and draw your own conclusion. (The Podcast is by a medical doctor, by the way)
It turns out the primary determining factor is the mechanical soundness of the moledular bond. This explains pasta vs. white bread, for example, AND why pre- processed food typically spike blood sugars. Now that said, yes, there are probably plenty of examples where that soundness might track right along with the simple vs. complex argument
- but this new research seems to explain a great many of the outliers data points. In other words, its a better fitting model, and therefore, likely much closer to the truth.
You can make the same sort of arguments for potatoes, and pineapples, and watermelons, by the way. The reason fiber is not digested is that humans lack the enzymes to break them down, not because they are complex. That is a critical distinction when it comes to undigestable carbohydrate content in the diet. There are also some very simple sugar alcohols that don't digest either. (Another key to the riddle.)
Also, with regard to the Glycemic Index, recall that this is a measure of Insulin Response to blood glucose levels. Those levels come about because of digestion, so of course they should more or less track each other (index vs. actual digestion)
I guess to try to simplify it, it the sugars are positioned on the molecule such that they are easily separated (i.e., digested) either mechanically, chemically, or thermally, then THAT is what determines time of digestion, not simple vs. complex. Some simple carbs are structurally sound and take longer to digest, and some longer chain carbs are more wobbely and quickly decimated. Damn! I sound like the Jenny Craig commercial now... Or Zone, or whatever.
On the Glycemic index, white bread (a very complex carb) has the same index as pure Glucose, for example. And as it turns out, both are rapidly digested. Huh?!
There is an MP3 link at the very bottom of my prior post. Download that, and skip ahead to approx. 12 minutes -- although, the whole interview is worthwhile. Especially, if you're an Adkins fan, or just trying to lose a few pounds through "better" eating.
-mpm