Contact: Amy Steigman
 Phone: +1.651.454.7250
 E-mail: asteigman@scisoc.org

AACC International Approves Definitions Related to Glycemic Carbohydrates

St. Paul, Minn. (September 13, 2006) –AACC International’s Board of Directors has approved definitions related to glycemic carbohydrates as part of a continuing effort to improve communication and understanding of how the carbohydrate content of a given food will affect blood glucose levels.

The association’s Glycemic (Net) Carbohydrate Definition Committee, led by Julie Miller Jones, utilized a scientific review process, feedback from open forums, and input from carbohydrate workshops and symposia and adopted the following definitions:

Available carbohydrate is carbohydrate that is released from a food in digestion and which is absorbed as monosaccharides and metabolized by the body.

Glycemic response is the change in blood glucose concentration induced by ingested food.

Glycemic carbohydrate is carbohydrate in a food which elicits a measurable glycemic response after ingestion.

Glycemic impact is the weight of glucose that would induce a glycemic response equivalent to that induced by a given amount of food

These definitions represent in vivo responses to food ingestion and are determined via carbohydrate concentration in the blood and/or degree of excretion from the body via feces or urine.

“The quality of fat type on nutrition has been a focus of nutrition for a long time and now the quality of carbohydrate and its nutritional impact has become important,” said Julie Miller Jones, chair of the Glycemic (Net) Carbohydrate Definition Committee and professor of Food Safety and Nutrition, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN. “The work of this committee was to try to define the terms so that food manufacturers might know what terms to use,” Jones said.

The vigorous discussions of the committee regarding the usefulness of glycemic impact in health promotion and the validity of the measurement reflect discussions in the scientific community worldwide. Further research and more ongoing debate are needed in defining, measuring, and expressing the glycemic response to foods and in using this in selection of diets that promote health.

AACC International will hold an open forum to hear how the Glycemic (Net) Carbohydrate Definition Committee developed these definitions and gather input on further research needed. The Glycemic Carbohydrate Forum will be held during the World Grains Summit in San Francisco, CA, at the Moscone Convention Center on Monday, September 18, from 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. in Room 300.

Members of the media are extended complimentary registration to the World Grains Summit that will run from September 17-20, by contacting Amy Steigman at +1.651.994.3802 or asteigman@scisoc.org. AACC International is an organization of professionals who contribute to the research, development, and processing of grains and grain-based products.

 

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