Final answer:
After a healthy person eats a meal high in sugar, their blood glucose levels increase and insulin is released to help normalize these levels. Blood glucose typically returns to its normal range within 2½ hours, provided the individual's insulin response is functioning correctly. In contrast, diabetic individuals have prolonged high blood glucose levels because their cells are resistant to insulin.
Step-by-step explanation:
What Happens to Blood Glucose Levels After Eating Sugar?
After a healthy person consumes a meal high in sugar, their blood glucose levels rise. Normally, the concentration of glucose, also known as blood sugar, in the blood is maintained between 70 mg/dL to 130 mg/dL when fasting and may rise to about 140 mg/dL after eating. In a healthy individual, these elevated levels stimulate the beta cells in the pancreas to release the enzyme insulin, which then helps cells to absorb glucose and reduces blood glucose levels by converting excess glucose into glycogen in the liver. This process usually brings the blood glucose levels back to normal within a few hours.
Graph-A illustrates that in non-diabetic individuals, the blood glucose level returns to normal approximately 2½ hours after oral glucose intake. Conversely, Graph-B indicates that in individuals with diabetes mellitus, blood glucose levels remain elevated for longer periods after sugar consumption due to hormone resistance where the body's cells don't respond properly to insulin. It's crucial for people with diabetes to manage their blood sugar through diet, exercise, and possibly medications to prevent hyperglycemia and its complications.