The glycaemic index of foods.

The glycaemic index is a measure of the extent to which the carbohydrate in a food can raise the blood glucose concentration and helps to identify foods which may be beneficial to a diabetic patient. This paper reviews the results that have been obtained so far with the glycaemic index approach, the factors that affect the glycaemic response, the problems that are associated with its measurement and its value in planning diabetic diets. Individual variation and variation among individuals in glycaemic responses are also discussed.