this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2023
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One thing about this “sugar = diabetes” thing is that people hyper focus on just sugar. Insulin acts on all digestible carbohydrates, not just sugar. Vegetable starch such as rice, corn, wheat or potatoes is just a chain of glucose molecules and is actually turned into blood glucose faster than sucrose. Eating 1 lb of potatoes is exactly the same as eating 1/4 lb of sugar, other than that it comes with some oil too.
Also it sure is annoying having type 1, which has nothing to do with that, and type 2, which does, is 24x as common.
Your overall point is very, very important and often overlooked but pure sugar does not take "longer" to turn into sugar in the bloodstream than simple carbohydrate.
You don't need to turn to hyperbole! Your point is already very important!
Thanks, but it's not hyperbole. Vegetable starch is, as noted, only a chain of glucose molecules. It takes 1 chemical step to turn into glucose - breaking the bonds. The only thing faster is pure glucose or maltodextrin. Sucrose is a disaccharide consisting of glucose+fructose. It takes a two-step process. The glucose is absorbed, but fructose takes a much longer pathway through the liver.
There's a dietary concept called 'glycemic index' which ranks foods on how fast they are absorbed into your blood stream. It's moderated by fat, protein, and fiber content in meals, but still it's worth looking at the basic food items. I had a hard time finding good charts that listed not only prepared foods but included sugar and starches, but check out this chart for example, or this one. Observe how on both lists, sucrose is in the upper middle, 60ish, while potatoes, corn, rice and wheat are among the highest around 100, second only to glucose and maltodextrin.
I'm extremely fascinated and this is pertinent to my work so I'm going to thank you for it now (because it'll take me a day or two to have time to really give it a good look.)
Oh, cool! Like you said, the speed of absorption is a minor distraction from the greater point, which is that all carbs are essentially sugar. Slower absorption does help people with T2, but mainly eating fiber and protein makes more of a difference than the base carb source. This is just what I recall from researching this topic when I got type 1 a few years ago, and my main focus was on the most efficient way to treat low blood glucose.
Does this mean that you can get a boost of energy quicker by eating something like potato chips, rather than chocolate? Not that the former would be healthier
I... Think so. There's a list of GI (glycemic index) for common foods somewhere. Greater GI=faster bg spike.
Let me see if I can find it again.
Eta: d'oh! Guy linked it above. Haha.
Haha, thanks. Gives me an excuse to carry potato chips on hikes :P
i have type 1 and have to watch out for and treat oncoming or acute hypoglycemia. If it's an emergency, like drooling and shivering with glucose of 35, you want the fastest possible, which would be glucose tabs/gel or honey. Pure potato or white rice potato is right up there. For preventative maintenance, if I seem to be dipping, I prefer things like cheetos or corn chips and salsa because it's more enjoyable. If you were experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia (which typically would not happen to a regular person without massive aerobic exercise stress or long starvation) you'd want the fastest method possible. I have type 1 so I have a CGM and manual blood monitor, and most people don't have those insights. Anyway, I take potato chips with me everywhere I go.
Yeah, makes sense. My dad has type 2 and always carries around some candy or glucose in case he gets hypoglycemic
The fastest would be the glucose tablets or liquid they sell for type 1 diabetics. Honey that is crystallized is very fast too, as the crystals are pure glucose. Some candies like US Smarties are sweetened with glucose. Fruit juice and sucrose are pretty quick, still, but if I'm in a hurry, I eat potato or white rice.
Fat slows down absorption of carbohydrates, so chocolate, and to a lesser extent potato chips, are slower than pure potato or other candies with sugar.
Wait, so pure boiled potato would be one of the fastest sources of energy? Wow, that's wild!
Yeah, without the skin... or white rice, or one of those Asian noodles that is made from pure rice starch.
I like my potatoes raw thank you very much
Idk how to square it away with what you're saying but potatoes are good for you and granulated sugar is bad for you.
Whole potatoes have some vitamins and fiber. Brown sugar has some, processed sugar has none. Peeled potatoes have little more nutrition than white sugar, and the same or worse effect on insulin response, which is the key of type 2 diabetes. Mainly what I was pointing out is that something like mashed potatoes is the same as sugar, maybe worse, and that "type 2 diabetes happens from too much sugar" might as well be "type 2 diabetes happens from too much french fries" but the real issue is total carbohydrate intake. In practice, Type 2 issues combine with lifestyle, as in if you're a marathon runner or body builder, eat as many carbs as you want. If not, watch all carbs.