# Glycaemic index and glycaemic load

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/glycaemic-index/  
OnCo record `glycaemic-index` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

How fast a food raises blood sugar (index) and how much, given the portion (load). High-glycaemic-load diets are weakly linked to some cancers, largely via obesity and insulin.

## Summary

Glycaemic index ranks carbohydrate foods by their two-hour blood glucose response relative to glucose; glycaemic load multiplies this by carbohydrate content per serving. Meta-analyses associate high glycaemic load with modestly higher risk of colorectal and endometrial cancer and with worse outcomes in colon cancer survivors (CALGB 89803), consistent with an insulin-IGF-1 mechanism. The concept is legitimate but is frequently stretched into the unsupported claim that dietary sugar directly feeds tumours.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: GI; GL

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index

## Connected records

- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Endometrial cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/endometrial/)
- technologies: [Ketogenic diets in glioblastoma](https://onco.cc/technologies/ketogenic-diet-glioblastoma/), [Mediterranean and plant-forward dietary patterns](https://onco.cc/technologies/mediterranean-plant-forward-diet/), [Time-restricted eating in cancer prevention and survivorship](https://onco.cc/technologies/time-restricted-eating/), [Ultra-processed food and sugar-sweetened drinks](https://onco.cc/technologies/ultra-processed-food-ssb/)
- terms: [Energy balance](https://onco.cc/terms/energy-balance/), [Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance](https://onco.cc/terms/metabolic-syndrome/), [Warburg-effect diet claims ('sugar feeds cancer')](https://onco.cc/terms/warburg-effect-diet-claims/)
- ideas: [Controlled feeding trials to separate ultra-processing from calories](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-nl-upf-controlled-feeding-trial/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/glycaemic-index.json