Resolving the glucose response curve: The underestimated importance of postprandial glucose

Although the measures fasting plasma glucose, postprandial glucose, and hem oglobin Ale are accepted methods for identifying clinical diabetes, discuss ion has arisen over which measure is the most informative and the precise r ole of each in the disease. The American Diabetes Association and the World Health Organization have chosen different metrics for their categorization of clinical diabetes, and their respective classification identify substan tially different populations of patients with diabetes. Increasing evidence has suggested that elevated postprandial glucose has a significant role in the progression of diabetes and as fin independent risk factor for diabete s-related complications. Glycemic metrics in terms of their physiological b asis and ability to identify populations at risk of diabetes and diabetes-r elated complications are discussed.