These Reasons Must Fast Before Health Tests

Fasting is more widely known as part of worship. However, there are also fasts that need to be done before taking certain types of health tests. Come on, find out the reason behind the fast. If you are asked to fast before undergoing a health test, that means you may not eat anything including smoking, or eating sweets. Some test procedures allow you to drink mineral water. However, it is not permissible to drink coffee, tea or soft drinks like soda.

Why Do I Need to Fast?

Fasting is needed to help make test results accurate. If you are not fasting, the test results may be inaccurate because proteins, vitamins, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals in food and drink can make the test results less clearly read. For example, if you eat or drink before your blood sugar test, the test results can show higher results and do not reflect the actual levels.

Health Tests That Need Fasting Beforehand

For those of you who will do a health test, let's first check whether the health test requires fasting beforehand.

• Blood test

Not all blood tests need fasting beforehand. Blood tests that make you need 8-16 hours of fasting include the role of checking: blood sugar levels, triglycerides, liver function, cholesterol, lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). In a blood sugar level test, it is generally asked to fast 8-10 hours before the test. Meanwhile, for tests of iron and cholesterol in the blood, you need to fast about 12 hours before the test. In addition, there are also blood tests that require to avoid certain types of food or drugs.

• Gastroscopy

You need to fast 6 hours before doing a gastroscopy. Besides making it easier for doctors to see the contents of the stomach, fasting is also useful to reduce the risk of vomiting and choking because the contents of the stomach enter the respiratory tract.

• Colonoscopy

The day before undergoing a colonoscopy, you can only drink water and need to eat fibrous food 2-3 days before. A few hours before you need to fast and take laxatives to empty the intestines.

• Anesthesia

Likewise, if you are going to undergo an examination that requires anesthesia (general or general anesthesia), you need to fast a few hours beforehand.

If you forget or accidentally eat, you need to contact the doctor or laboratory where you are testing to determine whether the test can still be done.

Special attention for children and pregnant women

Not only adults, children who will do the test also need to fast. It's just that children should be accompanied and need to divert attention if they already feel hungry. In addition, pregnant women who fast when going to do blood tests, also require special attention. Your doctor may advise pregnant women to drink more mineral water and reduce activity before the test. Pregnant women also need to see a doctor if they feel pain, such as heartburn, when fasting. For diabetics who fast before undergoing medical tests, it is necessary to consult a doctor, whether previously need to check blood sugar levels, adjust the insulin dose, or stop taking the drug temporarily. If your blood sugar level is too low, you should immediately break the fast or consult with your doctor again. In general, it is sufficient to drink at least 2 days before the test. Drinking a few glasses of mineral water before taking blood can help medics find blood vessels. In addition, if you are taking certain medications, you should consult a doctor whether you need to stop or continue taking these drugs. Fasting before the test, might make you hungry or thirsty. But this is needed to obtain accurate test results. Take it easy, after the test is over, you can immediately eat and drink as usual.