Benefits Of A Low-GI Diet Need To Be Better Communicated

Although the science is not yet fully understood by the average consumer, the benefits of eating low glycemic index (GI) foods are beginning to gain wider acceptance. The European Union, for example, recently approved the health claim that fructose-containing foods lead to a lower rise in blood sugar – the basic definition of glycemic index – as long as they lower sucrose or glucose in the product by at least 30 percent. Meanwhile, nutrition experts are backing the use of improved graphics on food packages to get the lower GI message across to shoppers. “’Slow releasing energy’ is a message that people understand,” a food company exec says. “Blood glucose management is something that people are starting to buy into.”