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 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.
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.
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.
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.