Glucose intolerance, also termed impaired glucose tolerance, is an abnormal handling of dietary glucose in which blood glucose rises higher than normal after a carbohydrate or glucose load but does not reach the threshold that defines diabetes. It is identified by elevated readings on an oral glucose tolerance test …
Glucose intolerance, also termed impaired glucose tolerance, is an abnormal handling of dietary glucose in which blood glucose rises higher than normal after a carbohydrate or glucose load but does not reach the threshold that defines diabetes. It is identified by elevated readings on an oral glucose tolerance test and reflects a combination of insulin resistance in muscle, liver, and adipose tissue and inadequate compensatory insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells. Glucose intolerance is a state of prediabetes and a major risk factor for progression to type 2 diabetes, and it is associated with obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and increased cardiovascular and hypertensive risk. A related and important form is gestational glucose intolerance, in which impaired tolerance emerges during pregnancy and carries risks for mother and infant. Contributing factors include excess adiposity, inflammation, dietary patterns, and hormonal influences, and management centers on lifestyle modification and, where appropriate, pharmacologic therapy. Research relevant to this topic includes risk factors for gestational diabetes in pregnant women, the role of proinflammatory cytokines in gestational diabetes, beta-cell function in diabetes, dietary and micronutrient influences on glucose regulation and the metabolic syndrome, the effects of adipose tissue and abdominal obesity on metabolism, and the relationship of glucose dysregulation to broader metabolic and cardiovascular disease.
11 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 11 articles above have been cited 92 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Glucose Intolerance, linking to each citing work.