Overview

• Researchers analyzed oral glucose tolerance tests in 993 participants from Iwate’s Ohasama Study, which has tracked local residents every four years since the 1980s.
• Subjects with one-hour post-load blood glucose below 170 mg/dL showed nearly 80% survival after 20 years compared to about 50% survival in those above this threshold.
• The association between lower one-hour glucose levels and reduced mortality held after adjusting for age, obesity, smoking, and other known risk factors.
• Analysis of cause-of-death records revealed that lower one-hour glucose readings correlated with fewer deaths from atherosclerotic heart disease and malignant tumors.
• The findings suggest that incorporating one-hour postprandial glucose measurements into routine screenings may enable earlier interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer.