International tables of glycemic index.

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of foods based on their glycemic effect compared with a standard food. It has been used to classify carbohydrate foods for various applications, including diabetes, sports, and appetite research. The purpose of these tables is to bring together all of the published data on the GIs of individual foods for the convenience of users. In total, there are almost 600 separate entries, including values for most common Western foods, many indigenous foods, and pure sugar solutions. The tables show the GI according to both the glucose and white bread (the original reference food) standard, the type and number of subjects tested, and the source of the data. For many foods there were two or more published values, so the mean +/- SEM was calculated and is shown together with the original data. These tables reduce unnecessary repetition in the testing of individual foods and facilitate wider application of the GI approach.