HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Prandial relates to a meal. Postprandial (from post prandium) means after eating a meal, while preprandial is before a meal.


Usages of postprandial

The term ''postprandial'' is used in many contexts.


Gastronomic or social

Refers to activities performed after a meal, such as drinking cocktails or smoking.


Medical

A common use is in relation to blood sugar (or blood
glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, u ...
) levels, which are normally measured 2 hours after and before eating in a postprandial glucose test. This is because blood glucose levels usually rise after a meal. The
American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes (including type 1 diabetes, ...
recommends a postprandial glucose level under 180 mg/dl and a preprandial plasma glucose between 70 and 130 mg/dl. Other uses of ''postprandial'' include: *
Postprandial dip In medicine and specifically endocrinology, postprandial dip is a term used to refer to mild hypoglycemia occurring after ingestion of a heavy meal. The dip is thought to be caused by a drop in blood glucose resulting from the body's own normal ins ...
is a mild decrease in blood sugar after eating a big meal. * Postprandial
hyperglycemia Hyperglycemia is a condition in which an excessive amount of glucose circulates in the blood plasma. This is generally a blood sugar level higher than 11.1  mmol/L (200  mg/dL), but symptoms may not start to become noticeable until even ...
(PPHG) is high blood sugar following a meal. It can be evaluated in a postprandial glucose test. * Postprandial
hypotension Hypotension is low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure is indicated by two numbers, the systolic blood pressure (the top number) and the di ...
is a drastic decline in blood pressure which happens after eating a meal.Merck Manual Home Health Handbook
"Postprandial Hypotension."
Last revised February 2003. Last accessed July 13, 2007.
* Postprandial regurgitation is a unique symptom of
rumination syndrome Rumination syndrome, or merycism, is a chronic motility disorder characterized by effortless regurgitation of most meals following consumption, due to the involuntary contraction of the muscles around the abdomen. There is no retching, nausea, h ...
. * Postprandial
thermogenesis Thermogenesis is the process of heat production in organisms. It occurs in all warm-blooded animals, and also in a few species of thermogenic plants such as the Eastern skunk cabbage, the Voodoo lily ('' Sauromatum venosum''), and the giant w ...
is heat production due to metabolism after a meal, temporarily increasing the
metabolic rate Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...
. * Postprandial abdominal distension usually refers to bloating of the abdomen following a meal, especially a large one. It is generally harmless, but tends to be uncomfortable. Instances of its sudden onset or prolonged duration can, however, be symptoms of certain severe adverse gastro-intestinal conditions such as irritable bowel disease.
Postprandial abdominal distension is also a documented side effect of some medications.


Processes

In the postprandium, there is
digestion Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small water-soluble food molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intest ...
of food in the
gastrointestinal tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
, followed by uptake and various
metabolic Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...
processes, mainly
anabolic Anabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that construct molecules from smaller units. These reactions require energy, known also as an endergonic process. Anabolism is the building-up aspect of metabolism, whereas catabolism is the breakin ...
ones (building organic molecules from smaller units). The postprandium is characterized by an increased activity of the
parasympathetic nervous system The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the others being the sympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system is sometimes considered part o ...
, putting the body in a state of "rest and digest".


References

{{reflist Medical terminology