Re: How come a high starch diet does not affect blood glucose levels?

Dear Jonathan,

Starch will increase blood sugar levels, but normally this is not a problem, as blood sugar (glucose) concentration is regulated by the release of insulin. People who have problems regulating their blood sugar, for example diabetics, must carefully regulate their intake of all carbohydrates, both sugars and starches. I think a sudden intake of starch is less of a problem than the intake of simple sugars, like glucose or sucrose, because the latter are absorbed very rapidly due to the presence of sugar transporters in the cells lining the gut. Starch on the other hand must be broken down into glucose before it is absorbed, and this is a comparitively slow process. As a result, it does not cause such a sudden rise in blood sugar level.