Pasta & noodles · Glycemic index
Does spaghetti (white pasta) spike blood sugar?
Moderately. Spaghetti (white pasta) has a low GI of 47, and a 124 g serving (1 cup cooked, not packed) has a medium glycemic load of 17. Spaghetti has a low average GI â far below bread made from wheat flour â but a cup of cooked pasta carries a fair amount of carbohydrate, and plates of pasta are easy to over-fill.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 47
- Low GI
- Glycemic load
- 17
- Medium GL
- Available carbs
- 36 g
- 2.2 g fiber
- Serving
- 1 cup cooked, not packed
- 124 g · boiled
GI vs GL for spaghetti (white pasta)
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story â how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI Ă available carbs Ă· 100. For spaghetti (white pasta): 47 Ă 36 g Ă· 100 â 17.
That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (âWhite spaghetti, boiled, mean of 11 foodsâ). Other shapes averaged similar or slightly higher values in the 2021 tables: penne 52 and fusilli 58. Gluten-free pastas averaged 58.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat spaghetti (white pasta) with less of a spike
- Serve about a cup of cooked pasta rather than a heaped plate, and bulk the dish out with vegetables.
- Pair it with protein â a meat or lentil ragĂč, tuna or chicken â so pasta is only part of the meal.
- Leftover pasta works well cold in a salad with a vinegar dressing; acid slows how quickly a meal is converted into sugar.
Lower-GI swaps
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of spaghetti (white pasta)?
Spaghetti (white pasta) has a glycemic index of 47, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (âWhite spaghetti, boiled, mean of 11 foodsâ). A 124 g serving (1 cup cooked, not packed) contains about 36 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 17 (medium).
Is spaghetti (white pasta) good for prediabetes?
Pasta can fit well: its GI is low, so a measured portion served with vegetables and protein is a reasonable meal. The risk is the amount on the plate, not the pasta itself.
Why does pasta have a lower GI than bread?
The international GI tables have consistently found most pasta to be low GI: in the 2021 tables, white spaghetti averaged 47 while white bread averaged 73, even though both are made from wheat. Pasta is still a carbohydrate food, so a large plate delivers a lot of it.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625â1632, Supplemental Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169737: Pasta, cooked, enriched, without added salt
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281â2283, Table 1
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source â Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
Data last checked .