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 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 (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 dia ...

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. * 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, followed by uptake and various metabolic 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 breaking ...

ones (building organic molecules from smaller units). The postprandium is characterized by an increased activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, putting the body in a state of "rest and digest".

References

{{reflist Medical terminology