Gestational diabetes: diabetes that develops during pregnancy. This type of diabetes normally only lasts whilst being pregnant but does put the woman at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Read more information on gestational diabetes.
Glucose: the simplest form of sugar that is created when the body digests the carbohydrates that we eat. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy. Sugar, as we know it, is made up of 50% glucose and 50% fructoses.
Glucose Tolerance Test (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test - OGTT): This is a blood test that is done to test whether you may / may not have diabetes. This is normally done at the blood laboratory. You are required to drink 250ml of liquid containing pure glucose, and after 2 hours your blood sugar (glucose) level is tested. If your blood sugar (glucose) level is greater than 11.1mmol/l you have diabetes. If your blood sugar (glucose) level is between 7.8 and 11.0mmol/l then you have “Impaired Glucose Tolerance” also known as pre-diabetes.
Glycaemic Index (GI): This is a system of “ranking” foods according to how quickly and by how much they raise your blood sugar (glucose) levels. HIGH GI foods raise blood sugar levels relatively quickly and relatively high, while LOW GI foods will raise the blood sugar levels slower and over a longer period of time thus keeping the blood sugar levels lower and more constant. View The Glycemic Index for more information
Glycogen: the way in which the body stores glucose for later use, for example when your blood sugar levels drop or when you are exercising. Glycogen is stored in the liver and the muscles and when needed the muscles use their own muscle glycogen as an energy source, whilst the liver converts glycogen into glucose which is then pushed into the blood to be used as energy.