If you have a family history of diabetes chances are that at some point you will have to take a glucose intolerance test. If your doctor recommends a glucose intolerance test, don’t worry, it isn’t the kind of test you have to study for or really even the kind of test you can fail. A glucose intolerance test is designed to test the way your body metabolizes the glucose (sugars) that you ingest.

The most common type of glucose intolerance test is the oral glucose tolerance test. For this test you will usually be asked to fast for several hours before the test begins. Upon arriving for your test your blood sugar will be checked, then you will be given a glucose solution to drink. You blood will then are sampled at intervals after you have ingested the glucose solution so that the doctor can see how well your body manages the glucose.