Postprandial glucose normalizes after how many hours following a meal?

• A. 1 hour
• B. 2 hours
• C. 3 hours
• D. 4 hours

Answer: (B)

After a meal, blood glucose rises and is then cleared as insulin promotes uptake by tissues and reduces glucose production by the liver. In healthy people, the glucose peak occurs around one hour, and glucose levels typically return to fasting levels by about two hours. That’s why normal postprandial glucose is considered to have normalized at two hours. Waiting until three or four hours would be longer than normal clearance, and one hour is usually too soon for full normalization.