The glycemic response to a food or meal is the effect that food or meal has on blood sugar (glucose) levels after consumption.It is normal for blood glucose and insulin levels to rise after eating and then return again to fasting levels over a short period of time. This is particularly so after consumption of meals rich in certain carbohydrates. Glycemic management refers to the selection of foods to manage your blood sugar levels.
Several tools have been developed to help quantify and communicate the effect of food on glycemic response. These include glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and glycemic glucose equivalents (GGE). A comparative glycemic response can also be determined, which compares the impact on blood glucose of one food to another based upon their total carbohydrate or total quantity.In 1981, the idea of classifying carbohydrates according to their Glycemic Index was first published. Since then, many studies have been undertaken to determine the impact of altering the blood glucose-raising potential (glycemic challenge) of the diet on a wide range of short- and long-term health outcomes. However, evaluating the impact of a single dietary change on health is notoriously complex, and opinions on the relevance of GI, GL and GGE have been divided. There are many different ways of lowering glycemic response, GI or GL, not all of which have the same effects on health. ILSI Europe published a monograph in November 2011 titled "Food, Glycaemic Response and Health", which concluded that "it is becoming evident that modifying the glycemic response of the diet should not be seen as a stand-alone strategy but rather as an element of an overall balanced diet and lifestyle".