Comparing Glycemic Responses to Low-Carbohydrate and High-Carbohydrate

Comparing Glycemic Responses to Low-Carbohydrate and High-Carbohydrate Energy Bars The Atkins Advantage Bar and the Power Bar are two energy bars containing differing amounts of carbohydrate. Both bars were studied in order to compare their effects on glycemia in the body. Steven R. Hertzler and Yeonsoo Kim investigated these bars in comparison with two controls, chicken breast and white bread, because these two foods also have divergent carbohydrate contents. To perform their study, the researchers recorded plasma glucose responses to 60-gram portions of all of these test foods. This study demonstrates the correlation between the carbohydrate composition of the Atkins Advantage Bar and the Power Bar, and the effects that this has on glycemia. The Atkins Advantage Bar is a low-carbohydrate energy bar that is part of the Atkins Diet plan. This snack food fits into the low-carbohydrate, high-protein weight loss program. Its purpose is to replenish the energy lost when one removes carbohydrates from his/ her diet in attempts to lose weight. In this particular study, the Atkins Advantage Bar served as the low-carbohydrate bar, which had the closest macronutrient composition to the chicken breast control (zero carbohydrates). One serving of this energy bar contains 2.6 grams or less of carbohydrates. Participants of this study who were fed the 60-gram portions of the Atkins Advantage energy bar experienced predictable glycemic responses, as a result of the low amount of carbohydrate that this bar contains. These participants produced the lowest glycemic responses in the study. Consumption of his energy bar reduced glycemia by 71%, as compared with the white bread control. The results of this study did not surprise Hertzler an. .. ...trated that energy bars that contain divergent amounts of carbohydrate produce different results. The low-carbohydrate energy bar, the Atkins Advantage Bar, produced the lowest glycemic responses, thus reducing glycemia. On the end of the spectrum, the high-carbohydrate Power Bar produced the highest glycemic responses, which increased glycemia. The differing glycemic responses of these two energy bars make sense because each bar has been developed to fulfill a different purpose. The Atkins Advantage Bar is a snack food that fits into a low-carbohydrate diet; therefore, its goal is to promote weight loss. On the other hand, the Power Bar is an energy bar that mainly fits into an exercise plan; and its goal is to replenish glycogen in the muscles. These two energy bars affect the body’s glycemic levels differently because they were formulated for different purposes.