Oral Glucose Tolerance Test or OGTT

It is important to know of our glucose levels with oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT so we shall know of the occurrence of pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes.

The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), also known as the glucose tolerance test, measures the body’s ability to metabolize glucose, or clear it out of the bloodstream and the body’s major basis of energy. This examination is used to detect diabetes, gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or pre-diabetes (a condition characterized by over-than-normal glucose levels that will lead to type 2 diabetes).

Glucose is very important to us because it is the sugar that gives energy to our body. However, so much sugar can cause diseases like diabetes. The OGTT is better able to diagnose high blood sugar after glucose challenge than the fasting blood sugar test, as National Institutes of Health (NIH) said. The doctor will recommend you to undergo the oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT if you suspect to have diabetes and even in cases where a patient’s fasting blood sugar level is normal. However, the test is more time-consuming and complex than the fasting blood sugar test.

Those who take the OGTT to diagnose diabetes or pre-diabetes must eat a normal, balanced diet the week before taking the test. Experts recommended that this diet contain at least 150 to 200 grams of carbohydrates each day. Patients should do the fasting for about 8 to 12 hours before having the check.

After fasting, blood is drawn to determine a fasting sugar level. After that, a patient should immediately drink a sugary (glucose-rich) beverage. Normally, the drinks contain 75 grams of carbohydrates, even though other amounts are possible. Blood will be drawn at a variety of intervals to measure the sugar levels, commonly one hour and two hours after the beverage is consumed.