Blood Sugar Rise After 15g Carbohydrates in Diabetic Patients

Expected Glycemic Response

Consuming 15g of carbohydrates will raise blood glucose by approximately 40 mg/dl over 30 minutes in diabetic patients 1, 2
15g of glucose will raise blood glucose by approximately 40 mg/dl over 30 minutes in diabetic patients 1, 3
Blood glucose levels typically begin to fall about 60 minutes after glucose ingestion 2
The initial response to treatment should be seen within 10-20 minutes, but blood glucose should be evaluated again in 60 minutes as additional treatment may be necessary 3, 4

The glycemic response correlates better with the glucose content than with the carbohydrate content of the food 4, 5
Pure glucose produces a greater rise in plasma glucose than equivalent amounts of carbohydrate from other sources 5
15g carbohydrate from glucose solution or tablets, sucrose solution or tablets, or corn syrup typically alleviates hypoglycemia symptoms in 10 minutes 3, 5

Although pure glucose is the preferred treatment for raising blood glucose, any form of carbohydrate that contains glucose will raise blood glucose levels 1, 6
Adding protein to carbohydrate does not affect the glycemic response 2
Adding fat may retard the acute glycemic response 2
During hypoglycemia, gastric emptying rates are twice as high as during euglycemia and are similar for both liquids and solid foods 1

For diabetic patients experiencing hypoglycemia, 15g of glucose is the recommended treatment 7
For patients with blood glucose <100 mg/dl before exercise, 15g of carbohydrate should be consumed, followed by retesting in 15 minutes 8
When treating hypoglycemia, the response should be apparent within 10-20 minutes, but blood glucose should be tested again in 60 minutes as additional treatment may be necessary 7

Blood glucose may continue to drop for 24-48 hours after exercise in patients taking insulin 8