Glycemic Load

Glycemic load (GL) is a measure that combines the glycemic index of a carbohydrate-containing food with the amount of available carbohydrate in the portion consumed. It is intended to represent the potential glycemic impact of that amount of food rather than carbohydrate quality alone. For a single food, GL is commonly calculated as the glycemic index multiplied by the grams of available carbohydrate in the portion, divided by 100 .^1,2

The glycemic index (GI) describes the relative blood glucose response to a fixed amount of available carbohydrate from a food compared with a reference food. Glycemic load adds a quantity component. As a result, a food with a high GI can have a relatively low GL when only a small amount of available carbohydrate is consumed, while a larger portion can have a higher GL .^1,2

Glycemic load can be calculated for an individual food, a meal, or an entire diet by combining the GI values and available carbohydrate amounts of the foods consumed. It is therefore a derived measure rather than a direct measurement of blood glucose after a particular meal. Actual glycemic responses can vary because they are also influenced by characteristics of the meal and differences between individuals .^2,3

Glycemic load is distinct from glycemic index. GI characterizes glycemic response using a fixed amount of available carbohydrate, whereas GL incorporates both GI and the quantity of available carbohydrate consumed .^1,2

References

Monro JA, Shaw M Glycemic impact, glycemic glucose equivalents, glycemic index, and glycemic load: definitions, distinctions, and implications. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008. About this source DOI

L.S.A. Augustin, C.W.C. Kendall, D.J.A. Jenkins, W.C. Willett, A. Astrup, A.W. Barclay, I. Björck, J.C. Brand-Miller, F. Brighenti, A.E. Buyken, A. Ceriello, C. La Vecchia, G. Livesey, S. Liu, G. Riccardi, S.W. Rizkalla, J.L. Sievenpiper, A. Trichopoulou, T.M.S. Wolever, S. Baer-Sinnott, A. Poli Glycemic index, glycemic load and glycemic response: An International Scientific Consensus Summit from the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC). Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2015. About this source DOI

Venn BJ, Wallace AJ, Monro JA, Perry T, Brown R, Frampton C, Green TJ The glycemic load estimated from the glycemic index does not differ greatly from that measured using a standard curve in healthy volunteers. Journal of Nutrition. 2006. About this source DOI