January 13, 2004
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from Chicago, Illinois, USA:
Why are blood glucose tests to be taken two hours after eating? Don’t some foods raise blood glucose levels slower than others? Sometimes it seems that it is still rising after two hours, and have not peaked. Last night it was 115 two hours after, 139 three hours after and 111 four hours after.
Answer:
You are correct! A number of things determine how quickly blood glucose will rise after a meal: the type of food, the quantity of food and how fast the food travels through the gastrointestinal tract. Things that can slow the rise in blood glucose include: very fatty meals, prolonged eating (“grazing”) and slow motility in the gut (such as gastroparesis, a complication of diabetes). In general, however, blood glucose will rise about 2 hours after a meal.
BS
