I want to offer the latest and best diabetes management for to my patients, and a colleague recently informed me that the latest recommendation for blood sugar checks for patients on insulin is before breakfast and two hours after the evening meal, but I hadn’t heard of this. Is this true?

In my practice with kids, adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes, I usually suggest doing blood sugars before meals and before bedtime. An occasional after meal blood sugar (one to two hours after meals) can be helpful to determine glucose excursion and assist in making changes to dosing rapid acting insulins at mealtime. However, I don’t routinely suggest testing after meals. After meal blood sugars are more routinely done in type 2 diabetes.

MSB

[Editor’s comment: Dr. Brown’s advice is the most common for most people with diabetes, but people who are on basal/bolus, insulin regimens, on an insulin pump, or those who are pregnant, also need to be checking blood glucose levels about two hours after each meal. Otherwise, it is impossible to properly adjust the insulin.

SS]