Glycaemic index and glycaemic load values of commercially available products in the UK

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) values for a variety of foods that are commercially available in the UK and to compare these with previously published values. Fasted subjects were given isoglucidic (50 or 25 g carbohydrate) servings of a glucose reference at least two to three times, and test foods once, on separate occasions. For each test food, tests were repeated in at least eight subjects. Capillary blood glucose was measured via finger-prick samples in fasting subjects (0 min) and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after the consumption of each test food. The GI of each test food was calculated geometrically by expressing the incremental area under the blood glucose response curve (IAUC) of each test food as a percentage of each subject's average IAUC for the reference food. GL was calculated as the product of the test food's GI and the amount of available carbohydrate in a reference serving size. The majority of GI values of foods tested in the current study compare well with previously published values. More importantly, our data set provides GI values of several foods previously untested and presents values for foods produced commercially in the UK.

Full text

Glycaemic index and glycaemic load values of commercially available
products in the UK
C. Jeya K. Henry
1
*, Helen J. Lightowler
1
, Caroline M. Strik
1
, Hamish Renton
2
and Simon Hails
3
1
Nutrition and Food Science Group, School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane Campus,
Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
2
Tesco Stores Limited, Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire EN8 9SL, UK
3
Reading Scientific Services Limited, The Lord Zuckerman Research Centre, Whiteknights Campus, Reading RG6 6LA, UK
(Received 10 March 2005 – Revised 18 July 2005 – Accepted 5 August 2005)
The objective of this paper is to provide glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) values for a variety of foods that are commercially available in the
UK and to compare these with previously published values. Fasted subjects were given isoglucidic (50 or 25 g carbohydrate) servings of a glucose reference
at least two to three times, and test foods once, on separate occasions. For each test food, tests were repeated in at least eight subjects. Capillary blood
glucose was measured via finger-prick samples in fasting subjects (0 min) and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after the consumption of each test
food. The GI of each test food was calculated geometrically by expressing the incremental area under the blood glucose response curve (IAUC) of each
test food as a percentage of each subject’s average IAUC for the reference food. GL was calculated as the product of the test food’s GI and the
amount of available carbohydrate in a reference serving size. The majority of GI values of foods tested in the current study compare well with previously
published values. More importantly, our data set provides GI values of several foods previously untested and presents values for foods produced commer-
cially in the UK.
Glycaemic index: Glycaemic load
The glycaemic index (GI), first introduced in 1981 (Jenkins et al.
1981), is a classification of the blood glucose-raising potential of
carbohydrate foods. It is defined as the incremental area under the
blood glucose curve (IAUC) of a 50 g carbohydrate portion of a
test food expressed as a percentage of the response to 50 g carbo-
hydrate of a reference food taken by the same subject, on a different
day (Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organiz-
ation, 1998).
Since the concept of GI was first introduced, many studies
have investigated the potential health benefits of low-GI
foods. The GI of foods may have important implications for
the prevention and treatment of the major causes of morbidity
and mortality in Western countries, including type 2 diabetes,
CHD and obesity. Today, there is an important body of
evidence to support the therapeutic potential of low-GI diets,
not only in diabetes (Bjo
¨
rck et al. 1994; Frost et al. 1994;
Gilbertson et al. 2001), but also in subjects with hyperlipidae-
mia (Jenkins et al. 1987a). In addition, low-GI foods have
been associated with prolonged endurance during physical
activity (Thomas et al. 1991), improved insulin sensitivity
(Frost et al. 1998), increased colonic fermentation (Jenkins
et al. 1987b; Wolever et al. 1992) and appetite regulation
(Warren et al. 2003). More recent data support the preventive
potential of a low-GI diet against the development of type 2
diabetes and CVD (Salmeron et al. 1997a,b; Frost et al.
1999; Meyer et al. 2000).
The use of GI for the classification of carbohydrate-rich foods has
been endorsed by the FAO/WHO, who recommended that the GI of
foods be considered together with information about food compo-
sition to guide food choices (Food and Agriculture Organization/
World Health Organization, 1998). GI values represent the glycae-
mic response of isoglucidic foods, and therefore are not always
representative of the glycaemic effect of a typical serving of that
food. To quantify the overall glycaemic effect of a standard portion
of food, the concept of glycaemic load (GL) was introduced (Sal-
meron et al. 1997a,b). The GL of a typical serving of food is the pro-
duct of the amount of available carbohydrate in that serving and the
GI of the food, divided by 100. It is often necessary to consider the
GL alongside GI values, especially when the carbohydrate content
of the food is relatively small. For example, broad beans have
been shown to have a high GI but because they contain very little
carbohydrate they have a low GL (Foster-Powell et al. 2002).
The GI of foods varies significantly due to factors such as par-
ticle size, cooking and food processing, other food components
(e.g. fat, protein, dietary fibre) and starch structure (Bjo
¨
rck et al.
1994). Consequently, there is often considerable variation in the
GI of the same food produced in different countries or by differ-
ent manufacturers.
Publication of reliably measured GI and GL values is needed to
prevent unnecessary repetition of work and improve work in this
exciting area. The largest table of GI and GL values published to
date lists 750 different items across a range of globally produced
* Corresponding author: Professor C. J. K. Henry, fax þ44 (0)1865 483242, email jhenry@brookes.ac.uk
Abbreviations: GI, glycaemic index; GL, glycaemic load; IAUC, incremental area under the blood glucose response curve.
British Journal of Nutrition (2005), 94, 922–930 DOI: 10.1079/BJN20051594
q The Authors 2005

food groups and brands (Foster-Powell et al. 2002). The table rep-
resents a valuable and well-cited resource for researchers and
clinicians and is likely to have been instrumental in sparking
the explosion of research in this area. However, the vast majority
of published GI values are Australasian or Canadian in origin,
with some Danish, French and Swedish values. There is currently
a paucity of published GI values for foods produced in the UK.
The aim of the current work is to provide reliable values of GI
and GL for a range of foods commercially available in the UK.
This initiative was the outcome of the Tesco Stores Limited GI
labelling programme introduced in June 2004.
Methods
Subjects
A total of 189 (seventy male, 119 female) healthy subjects were
recruited to take part in the study. Subjects were recruited through
posters distributed at Oxford Brookes University (n 112) and the
University of Reading (n 77). Exclusion criteria were as follows:
age , 18 or . 55 years; BMI $ 25 kg/m
2
; fasting blood glucose
value . 6·1 mmol/l. Ethical approval for the study was obtained
from the respective university’s Research Ethics Committee. Sub-
jects were given full details of the study protocol and the oppor-
tunity to ask questions. All subjects gave written informed
consent prior to participation.
All anthropometric measurements were made in the fasting state.
Height was recorded to the nearest centimetre using a stadiometer
(Seca Ltd, Birmingham, UK), with subjects standing erect and with-
out shoes. Body weight was recorded to the nearest 0·1 kg using the
Tanita BC-418 MA (Tanita UK Ltd, Yiewsley, Middx, UK), with
subjects wearing light clothing and no shoes. BMI was calculated
using the standard formula: weight (kg)/height (m)
2
. Characteristics
of the subjects are shown in Table 1.
Study protocol
The protocol used was adapted from that described by Wolever et al.
(1991) and is in line with procedures recommended by the Food and
Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (1998). For
each test food, tests were repeated in a minimum of eight subjects.
Subjects tested between two and twelve test foods. On the day
prior to a test, subjects were asked to restrict their intake of alcohol
and caffeine-containing drinks and to restrict their participation in
intense physical activity (e.g. long periods at the gym, excessive
swimming, running, aerobics). Subjects were also told not to eat
or drink after 21.00 hours the night before a test, although water
was allowed in moderation.
Test foods
A number of different foods were tested, including breads, cer-
eals, pasta, basmati rice varieties, pulses, ready-to-eat meals and
low-fat yoghurts. These foods represent a diverse range of com-
mercial foods commonly consumed in the UK. All foods were
provided by Tesco Stores Limited and were originally tested for
GI labelling purposes. All foods were tested in equivalent avail-
able carbohydrate amounts (50 or 25 g) and compared with a
reference food (glucose). Available carbohydrate values were pro-
vided by the manufacturer. Most foods were tested against 50 g
available carbohydrate; however, if the serving size was con-
sidered too large to consume comfortably, foods were tested
against 25 g available carbohydrate (Brouns et al. 2005).
Where required, foods were prepared following the manufac-
turer’s instructions. All breakfast cereals were consumed dry
with the exception of the porridge products, which were made
with water and cooked in the microwave according to the manu-
facturer’s instructions. Unsalted water was used when soaking or
boiling foods was necessary.
In accordance with FAO/WHO recommendations, subjects tested
each test food once and the reference food two or three times in
random order on separate days, with at least a 1 d gap between
measurements to minimise carry-over effects (Food and Agriculture
Organization/World Health Organization, 1998). Subjects were
studied in the morning after a 12 h overnight fast. Subjects con-
sumed the reference/test food at a comfortable pace, within
15 min. The test foods and reference food were served with
200 ml water. A further 200 ml water was given during the sub-
sequent 2 h. Subjects were encouraged to keep physical activity to
a minimum during the testing.
Blood glucose measurements
A qualified technician performed blood glucose measurements.
A fasting blood sample was taken at 0 min and the reference/test
food was consumed immediately after this. Further blood samples
were taken at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after starting to eat.
Blood was obtained by finger-prick using the Glucolet 2 multi-
patient lancing system (Bayer HealthCare, Newbury, Berks., UK).
Recent reports suggest that capillary rather than venous blood
sampling is preferred for reliable GI testing (Food and Agriculture
Organization/World Health Organization, 1998; Wolever, 2003;
Brouns et al. 2005). Prior to a finger-prick, subjects were encour-
aged to warm their hand to increase blood flow. Fingers were
not squeezed to extract blood from the fingertip in order to minimise
plasma dilution. Blood glucose was measured using Ascensia
Contour
w
automatic blood glucose meters (Bayer HealthCare).
The blood glucose meters were calibrated daily using control
solutions from the manufacturer and were also regularly calibrated
against a clinical dry chemistry analyser (Reflotron
w
Plus; Roche,
Welwyn Garden City, Herts., UK) and the HemoCue Glucose
201þ analyser (HemoCue
w
Ltd., Dronfield, Derbyshire, UK).
Fig. 1 shows the Pearson regression and Bland–Altman ana-
lyses for a random selection of 140 blood samples simultaneously
measured using the Ascensia Contour
w
and the HemoCue Glu-
cose 201þ analyser. There was a very strong correlation
(r 0·980, P, 0·001) and good agreement (mean difference
2 0·2 mmol; 95 % CI 2 0·3, 2 0·2; limits of agreement 2 0·80,
0·32) between blood glucose measurements using the automatic
analyser and the HemoCue analyser.
Calculation of glycaemic index and glycaemic load
The IAUC, ignoring the area beneath the baseline, was calculated
geometrically for each food (Food and Agriculture Organization/
Table 1. Characteristics of study population
(Mean values and standard deviations for 189 subjects)
Mean
SD
Age (years) 36·5 11·8
Height (m) 1·70 0·10
Weight (kg) 68·3 14·3
BMI (kg/m
2
)23·4 4·3
Glycaemic index and glycaemic load table 923

World Health Organization, 1998). The mean, standard deviation
and CV of the IAUC of each subject’s repeated reference food
were calculated. The IAUC for each test food eaten by each sub-
ject was expressed as a percentage of the mean IAUC for the
reference food eaten by the same subject: GI ¼ (IAUC test
food/IAUC reference food) £ 100. The GI of each test food was
taken as the mean for the whole group.
The GL of a specific serving of each food was calculated using
the following equation: GL ¼ (GI of test food £ available carbo-
hydrate in a serving of test food [g])/100.
Serving size of each test food was taken from manufacturers’
information or where this was not available from a well-recog-
nised book of standard food portion sizes (Ministry of Agricul-
ture, Fisheries and Food, 1993).
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Product
and Service Solutions software (SPSS version 11.0.1; Chicago,
IL, USA). To examine the correlation and agreement between
the automatic analyser and the HemoCue Glucose 201þ analyser,
the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the method of Bland and
Altman (1986) were used. Levels of inter- and intra-individual
variation of the three standard (glucose) tests were assessed by
determining the CV%. Spearman’s correlation coefficient, r, was
used to assess the relationship between GI values and nutrient
content of the test foods. Statistical significance was set at
P, 0·05.
Results
The mean CV of glycaemic responses to the three standard tests for
the 189 subjects was 26 %. The inter-individual CV in glycaemic
response to the 25 and 50 g standard tests was 42 % and 38 %,
respectively. These values are consistent with previously reported
data (Wolever, 1990).
The GI and GL values for all tested foods are given in Table 1.
Values are given as means with their standard errors. For practical
application, GI values are often grouped into categories as producing
a low, medium or high glycaemic response: low # 55; medium
56–69 inclusive; high $ 70 (Brand-Miller et al. 2003). Both the
bread and cereals produced a wide range of GI values with
some producing low (e.g. malted wheat bread, bran flakes), some
medium (e.g. white pitta bread, Value muesli) and some high
(e.g. Value fruit loaf, sultana bran). All pasta products fell into
the low-GI category, while the basmati rice was low to medium.
All dried pulses and dairy products had low GI values, as did
the majority of ready-to-eat meals and dried fruits and nuts tested.
There was no strong relationship between GI value and macro-
nutrient content per 100 g of the test foods (Fig. 2): energy intake
(Spearman’s r 0·447; P, 0·001); percentage of energy from
protein (Spearman’s r 2 0·441; P, 0·001); percentage of energy
from fat (Spearman’s r 2 0·005; P¼0·960).
Fig. 1. Bland–Altman analyses of blood glucose measurements between the
Ascensia Contour
w
(ASC) and HemoCue 201þ analyser (HEM). For details
of subjects and procedures, see p. 923.
Fig. 2. Relationship between glycaemic index (GI) values and energy, protein
and fat content per 100 g test food. For details of subjects and procedures,
see p. 923.
C. J. K. Henry et al.924

Table 2. Table of glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) values for UK foods*
Carbohydrate Experimental
GI
Standard Carbohydrate
Food (g/100 g) portion (g) Mean
SEM serving size (g) (g per serving) GL (per serving) Subjects (n)
Breads
1 Crusty malted wheat bread (Finest) 44·2 113·1 52 8 30 13·3 7 10
2 Multi-grain batch bread 47·7 104·8 62 8 50 23·9 15 10
3 Oatmeal batch bread 50·1 99·8 62 8 50 25·1 16 10
4 Malt loaf, organic 61·2 81·7 59 9 35 21·4 13 10
Fruit bread
5 Fruit and cinnamon bread (Finest) 52·7 94·9 71 11 37 19·5 14 10
6 Fruit loaf, sliced 54·4 91·9 57 6 30 16·3 9 10
7 Fruit loaf (Value) 59·5 84·0 90 11 30 17·9 16 10
Pitta bread
8 Pitta, white, mini 51·2 97·7 68 5 30 15·4 10 10
9 Pitta, white (Value) 51·2 97·7 69 20 60 30·7 21 10
10 Pitta, wholemeal 46·4 107·8 56 13 60 27·8 16 10
Breakfast cereals
11 Fruit and fibre 69·1 72·4 67 7 30 20·7 14 10
12 Fruit and fibre (Value) 65·7 76·1 68 7 40 26·3 18 8
Muesli
13 Muesli, fruit and nut 60·3 82·9 59 11 50 30·2 18 8
14 Muesli, fruit 67·2 74·4 67 7 50 33·6 23 10
15 Muesli (Healthy Eating) 71·1 70·3 86 10 50 35·6 31 10
16 Muesli (Value) 62·6 79·9 64 9 50 31·3 20 10
17 Muesli, wholewheat 59·1 84·6 56 6 50 29·6 17 10
Bran-cereal
18 Hi fibre bran 38·5 129·9 43 10 30 11·6 5 10
19 Branflakes (Healthy Living) 67·1 74·5 50 7 30 20·1 10 10
20 Sultana bran (Healthy Living) 58·1 86·1 90 17 30 17·4 16 10
Porridge†
21 Porridge oats, organic 57·8 86·5 63 11 50 28·9 18 8
22 Porridge oats, Scottish 62·0 80·6 63 7 50 31·0 20 10
23 Porridge oats (Value) 60·4 82·8 63 15 50 30·2 19 8
Dry pastas‡
24 Lasagne, egg 66·2 75·5 53 9 50 33·1 18 10
25 Lasagne, egg, verdi 69·1 72·4 52 6 50 34·6 18 8
26 Lasagne sheets (Value) 72·0 69·4 55 8 50 36·0 20 8
27 Fusilli pasta twists 72·6 68·9 54 11 50 36·3 20 10
28 Fusilli pasta twists, wholewheat 62·5 80·0 55 8 50 31·3 17 10
29 Fusilli pasta twists, tricolour 68·5 73·0 51 11 50 34·3 17 8
30 Tagliatelle, egg 66·4 75·3 46 6 50 33·2 15 8
Basmati rice
31 Basmati rice, Indian, boiled 8 min 76·1 65·7 69 6 75 57·1 39 8
32 Basmati rice, Indian, easy-cook, boiled 9 min 79·8 62·7 67 11 75 59·9 40 8
33 Basmati rice (Value), boiled 12 min 79·4 63·0 52 11 50 39·7 21 8
34 Basmati rice, organic, boiled 10 min 76·1 65·7 57 10 75 57·1 33 8
Dried pulses
35 Butter beans, soaked overnight, boiled 50 min 49·8 100·4 26 7 150 74·7 19 8
36 Pearl barley, boiled 60 min 82·2 60·8 35 4 150 123·3 43 8
37 Red kidney beans, soaked overnight, boiled 60 min 40·2 124·4 51 5 150 60·3 31 8
38 Lentils, red, split, boiled 25 min 51·3 97·5 21 7 150 77·0 16 8
39 Peas, yellow, split, dried, soaked overnight, boiled 55 min 56·6 88·3 25 6 150 84·9 21 8
Glycaemic index and glycaemic load table 925

Table 2. Continued
Carbohydrate Experimental
GI
Standard Carbohydrate
Food
(g/100 g) portion (g) Mean
SEM serving size (g) (g per serving)
GL (per serving) Subjects (n)
Ready-to-eat meals
40 Lasagne, beef (frozen) 11·8 423·7 47 7 400 47·2 22 10
41 Lasagne, meat (Healthy Living, chilled) 12·7 393·7 28 4 340 43·2 12 8
42 Lasagne 10·1 495·0 25 5 400 40·4 10 8
43 Lasagne (Finest) 10·2 490·2 34 8 300 30·6 10 10
44 Lasagne, vegetarian 13·6 367·6 20 6 430 68·8 14 8
45 Cannelloni, spinach and ricotta 17·9 279·3 15 4 400 71·6 11 8
46 Pasta bake, tomato and mozzarella 14·2 352·1 23 4 340 48·3 11 8
47 Fajitas, chicken 14·2 352·1 42 14 275 38·9 17 8
48 Chow mein, chicken (Serves One) 12·2 409·8 47 7 475 60·0 28 8
49 Chow mein, chicken (Healthy Living)§ 7·6 394·7 55 7 450 34·2 19 8
50 Sweet and sour chicken with noodles (Serves One) 17·2 290·7 41 7 475 81·7 33 8
51 Chilli beef noodles (Finest) 15·2 328·9 42 4 450 68·4 29 8
52 Cumberland fish pie 10·4 480·8 40 5 250 26·0 10 8
53 Cumberland pie 12·4 403·2 29 6 500 62·0 18 8
54 Cottage pie 11·2 446·4 65 8 500 56·0 36 10
55 Shepherds pie 14·7 340·1 66 9 500 73·5 49 10
56 Sausage and mash 13·4 373·1 61 7 500 67·0 41 10
57 Beef and ale casserole (Finest)§ 6·8 441·2 53 12 300 14·9 8 8
58 Steak and ale with cheddar mash (Finest)§ 8·6 348·8 48 12 550 47·3 23 8
59 Mushroom stroganoff with rice 14·4 347·2 26 6 400 57·6 15 8
60 Lamb moussaka (Finest)§ 9·1 329·6 35 8 330 30·0 11 10
61 Tandoori chicken masala and rice (Finest) 17·4 287·4 45 5 550 111·7 50 10
62 Chicken tikka masala/rice (Healthy Living) 20·1 248·8 34 7 550 110·6 38 8
63 Chicken korma/rice (Healthy Living) 15·9 314·5 45 9 450 71·6 32 8
64 Chicken korma and peshwari rice (Finest) 15·9 314·5 44 6 550 87·5 39 8
Dairy products
Milk
65 Milk, skimmed, pasteurised, British (Dairycrest)k 5·0 500 48 15 250 12·5 6 10
66 Milk, semi-skimmed, pasteurised, British (Dairycrest)k 5·0 500 25 6 250 12·5 3 8
67 Milk, semi-skimmed, pasteurised, organic (Arla)k 5·0 500 34 8 250 12·5 4 9
68 Milk, standardised homogenised, pasteurised, British (Dairycrest)k 4·7 531·9 46 10 250 11·8 5 10
69 Milk, whole, pasteurised, fresh, organic (Arla)k 4·8 520·8 34 6 250 12·0 4 9
Yoghurt
70 Yoghurt, peach melba (Value)§ 16·0 187·5 57 5 125 20·0 11 8
71 Yogurt, low fat, peach melba (Value)k 14·0 357·1 56 11 125 17·5 10 10
72 Yoghurt, low fat, strawberry (Value)k 14·2 352·1 85 19 125 17·8 15 10
73 Yoghurt, low fat, apricotk 14·1 354·6 42 6 150 21·1 9 10
74 Yoghurt, low fat, black cherryk 14·3 349·7 41 5 150 21·5 9 10
75 Yoghurt, low fat, hazelnutk 14·0 357·1 53 9 150 21·0 11 10
76 Yoghurt, low fat, raspberryk 14·9 335·6 34 6 150 22·4 8 10
77 Yoghurt, low fat, strawberryk 14·4 347·2 62 11 150 21·6 13 10
78 Yoghurt, low fat, toffeek 17·4 287·4 51 18 150 26·1 13 10
79 Yoghurt, low fat, naturalk 5·8 431 35 10 200 11·6 4 9
80 Yoghurt, black cherry (Healthy Living Light)k 8·7 287·4 67 15 200 17·4 12 10
81 Yoghurt, peach and apricot (Healthy Living Light)k 8·1 308·6 28 6 200 16·2 5 9
82 Yoghurt, raspberry (Healthy Living Light)k 8·1 308·6 43 8 200 16·2 7 10
83 Yoghurt, strawberry (Healthy Living Light)k 7·9 316·5 30 6 200 15·8 5 10
84 Yoghurt, toffee (Healthy Living Light)k 7·5 333·3 41 11 200 15·0 6 10
85 Yoghurt, vanilla (Healthy Living Light)k 7·0 357·1 47 13 200 14·0 7 10
C. J. K. Henry et al.926

Table 2. Continued
Carbohydrate Experimental
GI
Standard Carbohydrate
Food
(g/100 g) portion (g) Mean
SEM serving size (g) (g per serving)
GL (per serving) Subjects (n)
86 Yoghurt, black cherry (Finest)k 16 312·5 17 3 150 24·0 4 10
87 Yoghurt, bourbon vanilla (Finest)k 19·2 260·4 64 14 150 28·8 18 10
88 Yoghurt, champagne rhubarb (Finest)k 16·8 297·6 49 12 150 25·2 12 10
89 Yoghurt, Devonshire fudge (Finest)k 22·4 223·2 37 7 150 33·6 12 10
90 Yoghurt, lemon curd (Finest)k 20·1 248·8 67 14 150 30·2 20 10
91 Yoghurt, orange blossom (Finest)k 20·1 248·8 42 11 150 30·2 13 10
92 Yoghurt, Scottish raspberry (Finest)k 18·9 264·6 32 7 150 28·4 9 10
93 Yoghurt, strawberry and cream (Finest)k 15·4 324·7 41 6 150 23·1 8 10
94 Yoghurt, Valencia orange (Finest)k 16·6 301·2 34 7 150 24·9 13 10
95 Yoghurt, white peach (Finest)k 16·1 310·6 54 21 150 24·2 13 10
96 Yoghurt, Greek style, honey toppedk 13·6 367·6 36 7 140 19·0 7 9
Yoghurt, red fruit (Health Living Light)
97 Raspberry and cranberry§ 6·3 476·2 42 12 125 7·9 3 9
98 Raspberry and black cherry§ 6·1 491·8 37 8 125 7·6 3 9
99 Strawberry§ 6·0 500·0 45 16 125 7·5 3 9
100 Morello cherry§ 6·6 454·5 35 6 125 8·3 3 9
Yoghurt, summer fruit (Health Living Light)
101 Peach and vanilla§ 6·3 476·2 26 7 125 7·9 2 9
102 Apricot§ 6·3 476·2 11 4 125 7·9 1 9
103 Strawberry§ 6·0 500·0 36 9 125 7·5 3 9
104 Raspberry§ 6·0 501·0 28 5 125 7·5 2 9
Yoghurt, tropical fruit (Health Living Light)
105 Guava and passionfruit§ 6·7 447·8 24 7 125 8·4 2 9
106 Pineapple§ 6·5 461·5 38 7 125 8·1 3 9
107 Mango§ 6·6 454·5 32 8 125 8·3 3 9
108 Peach and apricot§ 6·4 468·8 27 6 125 8·0 2 9
Fromage frais
Fromage frais, red fruit (Healthy Living)
109 Red cherry§ 7·2 416·7 25 6 100 7·2 2 10
110 Raspberry§ 6·8 441·2 31 8 100 6·8 2 10
111 Blackcurrant§ 7·2 416·7 22 5 100 7·2 2 10
112 Strawberry§ 6·6 454·5 29 9 100 6·6 2 9
Fromage frais, yellow fruit (Healthy Living)
113 Pineapple and passionfruit§ 7·1 422·5 18 5 100 7·1 1 8
114 Mango and papaya§ 7·0 428·6 25 7 100 7·0 2 8
115 Mandarin and orange§ 7·0 428·6 19 6 100 7·0 1 9
116 Peach and apricot§ 6·8 441·2 22 5 100 6·8 1 8
Desserts
117 Cre
`
me fraiche dessert, peach (Finest)k 15·6 320·5 28 8 150 23·4 7 9
118 Cre
`
me fraiche dessert, raspberry (Finest)k 11·2 446·4 30 7 150 16·8 5 10
Probiotic drinks
119 Probiotic drink, orangek 13·4 373·1 30 8 100 13·4 4 10
120 Probiotic drink, cranberryk 12·2 409·8 56 9 100 12·2 7 10
121 Probiotic drink, originalk 12·2 409·8 34 5 100 12·2 4 10
122 Probiotic drink, pink grapefruitk 13·1 381·7 60 18 100 13·1 8 10
123 Probiotic yoghurt, prunek 14·3 349·7 44 10 170 24·3 11 10
124 Probiotic yoghurt, raspberryk 14·3 349·7 45 10 170 24·3 11 10
125 Probiotic yoghurt, strawberryk 14·3 349·7 52 14 170 24·3 13 10
Dried fruit and nuts
126 Apricots, dried, ready to eat, bite size 36·5 137·0 32 7 60 21·9 7 10
Glycaemic index and glycaemic load table 927

Table 2. Continued
Carbohydrate Experimental
GI
Standard Carbohydrate
Food
(g/100 g) portion (g) Mean
SEM serving size (g) (g per serving)
GL (per serving) Subjects (n)
127 Apricots, dried, ready to eat 36·0 138·9 31 6 60 21·6 7 8
128 Sultanas 69·4 72·0 58 11 60 41·6 24 8
129 Sultanas (Value) 69·4 72·0 56 8 60 41·6 24 10
130 Peaches, dried, ready to eat 36·9 135·5 35 5 60 22·1 8 8
131 Pears, dried, ready to eat 45·0 111·1 43 15 60 27·0 12 8
132 Mixed fruit, dried (Value) 67·9 73·6 60 7 60 40·7 6 10
133 Cashew nuts§ 24·8 121·0 25 6 50 12·4 3 8
134 Cashew nut halves§ 20·5 146·0 27 6 50 10·3 3 8
135 Cashew nuts, roasted and salted§ 20·5 146·0 27 9 50 10·3 3 8
136 Cashew nuts, organic, roasted and salted§ 23·4 128·2 25 12 50 11·7 3 8
137 Mixed nuts, roasted and salted§ 34·6 144·5 24 10 50 17·3 4 9
138 Tropical fruit and nut mix (Finest) 55·7 89·8 49 7 50 27·9 14 9
139 Mixed nuts and raisins 31·0 161·3 21 5 50 15·5 3 9
140 Fruit and nut mix (Finest) 47·1 106·2 15 3 50 23·6 3 10
* For details of procedures, see p. 923.
† Made with water, cooked in the microwave according to manufacturer’s instructions.
‡ Boiled in unsalted water for 10 min (egg tagliatelle, 7 min).
§ Both the test food and the reference food contained 25 g carbohydrate.
k GI testing carried out by Reading Scientific Services Limited; both the test food and the reference food contained 25 g carbohydrate.
C. J. K. Henry et al.928

Discussion
The majority of GI values of foods tested in the current study
compare well with previously published values (Foster-Powell
et al. 2002). For example, in healthy subjects, the GI values for
dried apricots (30), high-fibre bran (42), basmati rice (58),
butter beans (28) and salted cashew nuts (22) reported in the inter-
national table of GI values (Foster-Powell et al. 2002) are similar
to those shown in Table 2.
Small differences of less than 10 –15 units in GI values
are within the error associated with the measurement of GI
(Wolever et al. 1991; Foster-Powell et al. 2002), however, there
were a few values that were notably different to those of
Foster-Powell et al. (2002). The high GI value (90 (
SEM 11))
obtained for Value fruit loaf was unexpected as adding a low-
GI ingredient such as dried fruit to a bread would be expected
to lower its GI. The value obtained for bran flakes in the present
study was considerably lower than the value published in 2002 by
Foster-Powell et al. (absolute GI value 50 compared with 74).
This highlights the need to test foods in the country of consumption
if possible, as the processing conditions and the raw ingredients used
may have a significant impact on GI. The GI of wholemeal pitta had
not been published previously. Both the white and the wholemeal
pitta fell into the medium GI category.
There are several factors that may alter the GI of a food, including
the presence of other macronutrients such as fat and protein. The
presence of large amounts of protein or fat may significantly
reduce the glycaemic response by increasing insulin secretion and
slowing gastric emptying (Collier et al. 1984; Nuttall et al. 1984).
However, in the present study, protein showed only a moderate
negative association with GI value and there was no association
between GI value and fat content per 100 g of the test foods or per
serving size tested. This reinforces the findings of Wolever et al.
(1994) that the amount of protein or fat found in commonly
consumed foods does not significantly affect glycaemic response.
With the increasing consumption of composite, ready-to-eat,
meals in our society the current GI table will enable consumers
and researchers alike to select low-GI foods for their respective
needs. The majority of ready-to-eat meals produced low GI
values. Only those products containing a high proportion of
mashed potato, i.e. cottage pie, shepherds pie and sausage and
mash, produced medium GI values.
The application of the GI to mixed meals is based on the
assumption that the glycaemic response to different foods will
be equally influenced by co-ingestion of protein or fat. However,
Gulliford et al. (1989) found that the glycaemic response to two
carbohydrate-rich foods was not equally modified by the co-inges-
tion of protein and fat. Therefore, it is important to test the GI of
composite meals, instead of trying to calculate the GI from GI
tables (Flint et al. 2004).
In summary, Table 2 provides reliable values of GI and GL for
foods consumed in the UK. In addition to this, our data set provides
GI values of several foods previously untested. This information
will help prevent unnecessary replication of GI testing and will
aid further research into the application of GI.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Angela Hoffman of Tesco Stores Limited
for her continued support. We would also like to acknowledge the
contributions of Freya Kendall and Padideh Sabeti of Oxford
Brookes University and Jane Staniforth of Reading Scientific Ser-
vices Limited.
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