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Is 6 hours considered fasting for blood sugar?

Fasting blood sugar is a simple, common blood test to diagnose prediabetes, diabetes or gestational diabetes. Before the test, you shouldn't have anything to eat or drink (except water) for 8 to 12 hours.

my.clevelandclinic.org - Fasting Blood Sugar: Screening Test for Diabetes - Cleveland Clinic

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Prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes often have no symptoms at first. A person can have the condition and not know it. Healthcare providers usually order a fasting blood sugar test: Fasting blood sugar is a simple, common blood test to screen for diabetes , prediabetes or gestational diabetes (during pregnancy). It’s also called a fasting blood glucose test.

Test Details

How does blood glucose work?

Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in your blood. When you eat or drink, your body breaks down carbohydrates in the food or liquid into sugar for energy. Then your pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which helps blood sugar enter your body’s cells. It also helps your body store blood sugar for later use. As the cells use the blood sugar, glucose and insulin levels in the blood decrease. But with diabetes, your body has trouble regulating glucose. Either your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, or your body doesn’t process insulin effectively. Therefore, the amount of sugar in your blood is higher than normal. And a lot of glucose in your blood is bad for your body. A fasting blood glucose test measures the amount of glucose in your blood when it should be at its lowest. That happens in the morning and when you haven’t had anything to eat or drink for a while.

How do I prepare for a fasting blood sugar test?

To prepare for a fasting glucose test, you should have nothing to eat or drink (except water) for 8 to 12 hours. Your healthcare provider will tell you how long to fast.

What can I expect on the day of the test?

A fasting blood glucose test is often done with a common blood draw. A healthcare provider will:

Clean the area inside your elbow to kill any germs.

Tie a band around your upper arm, which will help the veins in your arm fill with blood. Insert a clean needle into a vein (which feels like a brief pinch). Draw blood into a vial that’s attached to the needle and labeled with your personal information.

Remove the band and then the needle.

Put pressure on the needle insertion site to stop the bleeding.

Place a bandage on the area.

After the test, the healthcare provider will send the blood sample to a lab for testing. In some cases, your healthcare provider may be able to test your blood sugar with a prick on the finger instead of a needle in the vein. The provider uses a blood glucose monitor and test strip to measure your blood glucose level in the office.

Are there any risks with a fasting blood sugar test?

A blood test is a very common and safe test, with almost no chance of any complications.

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How much caffeine will spike insulin?

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? It only takes about 200 milligrams of caffeine to affect your blood sugar. That's the amount in about one or two cups of brewed coffee or three or four cups of black tea. You may be able to handle more or less caffeine.

webmd.com - Diabetes and Caffeine - The Truth about Blood Sugar - WebMD

Whether it’s from coffee , tea , soda, or chocolate , most Americans get caffeine every day. For healthy people, it’s usually a harmless perk-me-up. But if you have type 2 diabetes , caffeine may make it harder to keep your blood sugar in check.

How Does Caffeine Affect Your Blood Sugar?

A growing body of research suggests people with type 2 diabetes react to caffeine differently. It can raise blood sugar and insulin levels for those with the disease. One study looked at people with type 2 diabetes who took a 250-milligram caffeine pill at breakfast and another at lunchtime. That’s about the same amount as drinking two cups of coffee with each meal. The result: Their blood sugar was 8% higher than on days when they didn’t have caffeine. Their reading also jumped by more after each meal. That’s because caffeine can affect how your body responds to insulin, the hormone that allows sugar to enter your cells and get changed into energy. Caffeine may lower your insulin sensitivity. That means your cells don’t react to the hormone by as much as they once did. They don’t absorb as much sugar from your blood after you eat or drink. This causes your body to make more insulin, so you have higher levels after meals. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body already doesn’t use insulin well. After meals, your blood sugar rises higher than normal. Caffeine may make it tougher to bring it down to a healthy point. This may lead to too-high blood sugar levels. Over time, this may raise your chance of diabetes complications, like nerve damage or heart disease.

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