From the Guidelines
For a diabetic, blood glucose levels after eating should ideally stay below 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L), though individual targets may vary based on your doctor's recommendations 1. To manage post-meal glucose spikes, take your diabetes medications as prescribed, whether that's insulin before meals or oral medications like metformin. Timing is crucial—rapid-acting insulins like Humalog, NovoLog, or Fiasp should be taken 15 minutes before eating, while regular insulin needs 30 minutes.
Key Considerations
- Monitor your blood glucose 1-2 hours after meals to understand how different foods affect your levels.
- Choose foods with a lower glycemic index, control portion sizes, and consider walking for 10-15 minutes after eating to help lower blood sugar.
- These strategies work because carbohydrates in food raise blood glucose, while medications, physical activity, and dietary choices help your body process glucose more effectively.
Adjusting Treatment
If you consistently see high post-meal readings (above 180 mg/dL), consult your healthcare provider as your treatment plan may need adjustment 1. It's also important to note that goals should be individualized based on factors such as duration of diabetes, age, comorbid conditions, and individual patient considerations 1.
Evidence-Based Recommendations
The American Diabetes Association recommends targeting a peak postprandial capillary plasma glucose of less than 180 mg/dL (10.0 mmol/L) 1, which is supported by other studies 1. However, the most recent and highest quality study 1 prioritizes individualized goals and emphasizes the importance of considering multiple factors when setting glycemic targets.
From the FDA Drug Label
Insulin inhibits lipolysis in the adipocyte, inhibits proteolysis, and enhances protein synthesis. Receptor-bound insulin lowers blood glucose by facilitating cellular uptake of glucose into skeletal muscle and fat and by inhibiting the output of glucose from the liver The primary mechanism of action of insulin is to regulate glucose metabolism.
- Key effects of insulin on glucose metabolism include:
- Lowering blood glucose by facilitating cellular uptake of glucose into skeletal muscle and fat
- Inhibiting the output of glucose from the liver
- Insulin administration before each meal, as described in the studies 2 and 2, helps to control postprandial glucose levels in diabetic patients. However, the FDA drug label does not provide a specific target glucose level after eating for diabetic patients.
From the Research
Glucose Levels After Eating for Diabetics
- Glucose levels after eating can be managed with the help of insulin aspart, a rapid-acting human insulin analog, which provides more rapid absorption than regular human insulin after subcutaneous administration 3.
- Studies have shown that insulin aspart administered immediately before meals results in significantly lower mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels than regular human insulin 4, 3.
- Biphasic insulin aspart (30% soluble and 70% protamine-bound insulin aspart) generally provides significantly better postprandial glucose control than a similar mixture of biphasic regular human insulin 4, 3.
Comparison of Insulin Aspart and Other Insulins
- Insulin aspart has been compared to insulin lispro in patients with type 1 diabetes, and both insulins have been shown to be equally effective for control of postprandial blood glucose excursions 5.
- Fast-acting insulin aspart has been compared to conventional insulin aspart in type 1 diabetes, and fast-acting insulin aspart has been shown to have a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c levels and 1-hour postprandial plasma glucose increment 6.
Management of Postprandial Glucose Levels
- The use of insulin aspart or biphasic insulin aspart can help to prevent excessive postprandial glucose excursions, whether injected at the beginning of a meal or 15 minutes after starting a meal 7.
- Insulin aspart can be used to intensify insulin therapy and reach glycemic targets, with a similar or lower number of hypoglycemic episodes compared to regular human insulin 7, 4, 3.