In 22 medical students, blood sugar peaked on exam day and tracked how stressed they felt

What the research found

Study (observational, small). Jan Broz, Natalia Michalcova, and colleagues at Charles University and Motol University Hospital in Prague used continuous glucose monitors on 22 healthy second-year medical students (13 women and 9 men; average age 21; average BMI 21.9) around one biochemistry exam (EASD, Milan; Medical Xpress 27 September 2026). Sensors recorded glucose every 15 minutes from seven days before the exam until three days after. The highest average daily glucose was on exam day, 5.72 mmol/L, up 0.37 mmol/L from 5.35 mmol/L four days earlier, then 5.42 mmol/L the next day. Overnight glucose rose from 4.70 mmol/L seven nights before to 4.93 mmol/L the night before. During the exam, the written test had the highest average, 6.14 mmol/L. Students who scored higher stress on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory had a higher average glucose before the exam and a sharper drop afterward. Daily averages stayed inside a range the authors called healthy in the short term. One exam in 22 students cannot show that stress causes diabetes. Educational notes.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at Charles University / EASD via Medical Xpress