What is measured during a Glucose Tolerance Test?

The Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) specifically measures blood glucose levels over time in response to a glucose load. This test is crucial for diagnosing conditions like diabetes and prediabetes. During the procedure, a patient fasts overnight, and then a baseline blood sample is taken. After ingesting a glucose solution, additional blood samples are collected at specified intervals to determine how well the body processes glucose. This time-sequenced measurement helps identify abnormalities in glucose metabolism, indicating whether the body is handling glucose appropriately after exposure to a high amount.

Measuring blood pressure, insulin resistance, and cholesterol levels are important aspects of overall health monitoring, but they are not the focus of the GTT, which is specifically designed to evaluate blood glucose reactions rather than other metabolic or physiological metrics.