Baking & Snack - May 2004 - 15

INFORMATION UPDATE

the rate at which glucose is metabolized.
In diabetes, this regulatory function is
disrupted, and for many decades, control
of diabetes has been concerned with correcting this, in part by controlling the level
of glucose in the bloodstream.
About 20 years ago, researchers began
characterizing foods according to their
effect on blood glucose levels after their
consumption. This is known as the glycemic
index (GI). The benchmark (GI = 100) is free
glucose; white bread has a GI of about 70,
yet whole-wheat bread's GI is about 40 (note
the effect of the interaction with ﬁber).
Many researchers use GI as a tool in
developing diets for the control of diabetes;
however, the American Diabetes Association, after considering numerous studies,
concluded that GI is not effective for this purpose, a conclusion engendering controversy
in the nutrition community. Part of the disagreement arises from the fact that ordinarily
GI is measured by feeding a simple food (for
example, white bread) alone and determin-

ing its effect of blood glucose. When fed as
part of a complex meal such as one also
containing some level of fat, protein and
ﬁber, a particular food's glycemic effect is
more difﬁcult to assess.
Some researchers have proposed that GI
can be a useful tool for weight reduction.
The thought is that consumption of high-GI
foods leads to elevated blood glucose, and
theoretically, this inﬂuences insulin levels
in such a way that the end result is deposition of fat in adipose tissue. This proposal
also is controversial; the majority opinion is
that it has no merit, but not all nutritionists
accept this conclusion.
Proteins. During the decade following
World War II, adequate protein intake was
of concern in many parts of the globe.
Such concern seems to have abated in
recent years, although moderate protein
deﬁciencies are still found in many poorer
countries. It has never been a widespread
problem in the United States.
Of more interest is the determination

that soy protein speciﬁcally has positive
health effects beyond its simple nutritional
role. This led to the health claim authorized
by FDA in 1999, that foods containing at
least 6.25 g of soy protein per serving
could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Beyond this effect, researchers have
claimed that soy protein (or some other soy
components associated with it) alleviates
post-menopausal symptoms, retards the
development of osteoporosis and inhibits
the development of many cancers. A serving of bread is deﬁned as 50 g. So to carry
this health claim on the label, the bread
must contain at least 12.5% soy protein, a
level somewhat difﬁcult to achieve. Some
workers have developed formulas that meet
this criterion, using soy protein forms more
concentrated than simple soy ﬂour.
LIFESTYLE
The American lifestyle has undergone rapid
changes in the past few decades. The large
upsurge in the number of families with

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Baking & Snack - May 2004

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