Who's heard of the Glycemic Index (GI)?
Singapore's first GI Research Unit aims to educate locals on concept
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Together with Changi General Hospital, the Unit has tested the GI of muffins developed by TP among Type 2 diabetics and healthy subjects. These tasy muffins are low in GI and suitable for diabetucs. |
A SURVEY of 1,000 Singaporeans
by TP showed that 74 percent have
not heard of the Glycemic Index, with
potentially dangerous consequences.
This ignorance means that few Singaporeans can identify foods that
metabolise slowly and hence release
glucose gradually into the blood
stream. On the other hand, knowing
the GI of food and how to apply it
in optimising a healthy diet has many
health benefits, especially for the
overweight, diabetics and athletes.
TP has taken the lead by setting up
a Glycemic Index Research Unit —
the first in Singapore. It develops and tests local foods for its GI, as
there is currently limited information
available on the GI of local Asian
foods. It also conducts regular
workshops to educate the public on
the GI concept.
The Unit conducts intervention studies
with TP’s Nutrition Consultant, Professor (Dr) Thomas Wolever,
of the University of Toronto who is
the co-founder of the GI concept. It
also works with a multi-disciplinary
team from Temasek Applied Science
School to tap into their expertise in
food science, biomedical science,
analytical chemistry, and veterinary
science studies. |
