In some parts of the world glycemic index (GI) is now widely recognized as a reliable, physiological based classification of foods according to their postprandial (after meal) glycemic effect (a measure of the change in blood glucose following ingestion of carbohydrate containing foods). The GI was introduced in the early 1980’s by Jenkins and co-workers and later proposed by Jenkins et al (1985) as a possible tool for the management of type 1 diabetesa and disorders of lipoprotein metabolism (dyslipidemia).

In 1997, a joint committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed the available research evidence regarding the importance of carbohydrates in human nutrition and health. That committee endorsed the use of GI method for classifying carbohydrate rich foods, and recommended that the GI values of foods be used in conjunction with information about food composition to guide food choices (FAO/WHO, 1997).

Though endorsed by many official health agencies around the world, the principles underlying GI have not been recognized by any governmental or professional entity in the United States. The American Diabetes Association, in a recent review, states in its position that: “Although the use of low GI foods may reduce postprandial hyperglycemia, there is not sufficient evidence of long-term benefit to recommend use of low GI diet as a primary strategy in food/meal planning” (Franz et al, 2002).

Laboratories around the world are currently conducting commercial testing of foods for GI for the food ind ustry.

GI addresses the quality of carbohydrates but not the effect of the quantity of carbohydrates in a food portion on glycemia. The glucose and insulin responses depend on both the quantity and quality of the carbohydrates. Salmeron et al (1997) introduced the term glycemic load (GL) to improve the reliability of predicting the glycemic response of a given diet. The GL of a food is its amount of carbohydrate in a serving multiplied by its glycemic index.

One concern with GL is that it is a mathematical concept, and has not been physiologically validated as a reliable measure of glycemic response (Ludwig, 2003).

Florida Department of Citrus’ economic research department has shown that the advent and popularity of the Atkins’ and South Beach diets have had a negative effect on citrus juices sales. Both of these diets are low carbohydrate diets and suggest the use of GI as a guideline for meal planning, focusing on the use of low GI foods. The South Beach Diet specifically excludes citrus juices as part of its diet plan (Agatston, 2003).

This report on GI and GL is aimed to address the issue of citrus juices in the context of its suitability as part of any healthy diet. Citrus juices are one of the most readily available, high nutrient dense, no-fat foods and are listed as a low category GI food (Foster-Powell et al, 2002; Brand-Miller et al, 1996).

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