{"entity":{"id":"glycaemic-index","kind":"term","name":"Glycaemic index and glycaemic load","aka":["GI","GL"],"tldr":"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.","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal","endometrial"],"sections":[],"technologies":["ultra-processed-food-ssb","mediterranean-plant-forward-diet","time-restricted-eating"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["warburg-effect-diet-claims","metabolic-syndrome","energy-balance"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Nutrition & lifestyle"},"route":"/terms/glycaemic-index/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"endometrial","kind":"cancer","name":"Endometrial cancer","route":"/cancers/endometrial/"}],"technology":[{"id":"ketogenic-diet-glioblastoma","kind":"technology","name":"Ketogenic diets in glioblastoma","route":"/technologies/ketogenic-diet-glioblastoma/"},{"id":"mediterranean-plant-forward-diet","kind":"technology","name":"Mediterranean and plant-forward dietary patterns","route":"/technologies/mediterranean-plant-forward-diet/"},{"id":"time-restricted-eating","kind":"technology","name":"Time-restricted eating in cancer prevention and survivorship","route":"/technologies/time-restricted-eating/"},{"id":"ultra-processed-food-ssb","kind":"technology","name":"Ultra-processed food and sugar-sweetened drinks","route":"/technologies/ultra-processed-food-ssb/"}],"term":[{"id":"energy-balance","kind":"term","name":"Energy balance","route":"/terms/energy-balance/"},{"id":"metabolic-syndrome","kind":"term","name":"Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance","route":"/terms/metabolic-syndrome/"},{"id":"warburg-effect-diet-claims","kind":"term","name":"Warburg-effect diet claims ('sugar feeds cancer')","route":"/terms/warburg-effect-diet-claims/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-nl-upf-controlled-feeding-trial","kind":"idea","name":"Controlled feeding trials to separate ultra-processing from calories","route":"/ideas/idea-nl-upf-controlled-feeding-trial/"}]}}