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If you have diabetes, you probably test your blood glucose levels daily, and you probably do this more than once a day.  Monitoring your blood glucose levels is extremely important because it will keep you informed as to what is happening with your diabetes.  It can tell you whether it’s time to see your doctor and adjust or change medications to keep things under control.

Traditionally, is has been recommended that individuals with diabetes test their blood glucose levels just before eating and then again about two hours after their meal.  The reason for this is to determine whether your blood glucose spikes after you have eaten.

Recent research has shown that taking your blood glucose level before eating is important, however waiting two hours after a meal to take it again is too long. 
The research has revealed that the blood glucose “spike zone” actually happens at about 30 to 45 minutes after a meal.  This is now considered the right time to take the blood glucose reading, rather than 2 hours after eating when the spike is over, the blood glucose is down and the results could lead to a false sense of security.

The studies have shown that controlling spikes in blood glucose can protect an individual with diabetes from serious health problems such as sight disease, heart disease and stroke.  Because of these findings, researchers are looking at a way to get this information out to doctors, health care professionals, and even the American Diabetes Association, who all go by the standard of testing at the two hour mark after a meal.  As a result, they are missing the 30 to 45 minute spike which could help them keep their patients with diabetes healthier.

If you are testing 2 hours after a meal, try testing 30 to 45 minutes after a meal and then 2 hours after a meal for a few days or a week and see if there is a difference between the two readings.  This should tell you the real reading, and let you know if you should talk to your doctor about how to control the spikes after a meal.