What level of sugar after meal is normal?

Normal sugar levels after a meal

What level of blood sugar after a meal is appropriate, and what level alerts us to diabetes, which - if untreated - can lead to serious health problems? How to test it correctly: is a blood glucose meter sufficient or is a blood sample necessary?

The concentration of sugar in the blood after a meal is known as postprandial glycaemia. The hormone insulin is responsible for this. The sugar level after eating starts to rise after about 10 minutes to reach its maximum after one hour. If it does not return to normal after two hours, this may indicate diabetes. What are the blood glucose standards?

What is the normal level of sugar after a meal?

According to World Health Organisation standards, the normal blood sugar level after a meal should not exceed 140 mg/dl (otherwise: 7.8 mmol/l). The test is carried out two hours after eating. In healthy people, the level should return to normal after this time. 

However, if the result is between 140 and 200 mg/dl (or 7.8-11.1 mmol/l), this indicates postprandial hyperglycaemia, a disorder of glucose metabolism that can lead to diabetes. A result above 200 mg/dl indicates diabetes. A result significantly above the norm, e.g. in the range of 300 mg/dl, may indicate type 1 diabetes.

Too little sugar after a meal can also be a cause for concern, signifying hypoglycaemia. This occurs at concentrations below 70 mg/dl. This may be a symptom of inadequately treated diabetes or of having eaten an incomplete meal that contained mainly rapidly decomposing simple sugars.

Symptoms of abnormal blood sugar levels after a meal

In the case of diabetes, significant and chronic excesses of the norm can lead to complications, including damage to the kidneys, brain, adrenal glands and peripheral nerve endings. In addition, if a value of approximately 180 mg/dl is exceeded, we may experience:

• fatigue,
• an increased need to go to the toilet (frequent urination),
• excessive thirst,
• a feeling of drowsiness.

How to measure blood sugar levels?

Testing blood sugar levels with a home blood glucose meter is not recommended for the diagnosis of diabetes, considering it useful only for self-monitoring of treatment progress by those already diagnosed. To confirm or eliminate the suspicion of diabetes, a blood test should be performed in a diagnostic laboratory.

Diagnosis of diabetes is indicated by a result exceeding 126 mg/dl (7 mmol/l) on two occasions on a fasting basis, a level above 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) obtained during the day (with concomitant diabetic symptoms) or two hours after a glucose load (during an OGTT test).