Seoul, October 04 (QNA) - A recent study found that fasting before blood tests may not be necessary for many routine laboratory tests, as fasting duration was associated with only limited changes in the results of most of the tests included in the study.

ScienceAlert reported Sunday that researchers analyzed more than 9.7 million blood test results from approximately 101,000 adult patients between 2021 and 2023 and compared the results according to fasting duration, which ranged from less than eight hours to eight to 12 hours and more than 12 hours.

The researchers found a clear association between fasting duration and the results of only 10 of the 121 analytes included in the study. The most notable were glucose, triglycerides, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and lipase, whose levels were higher among people who'd fasted for less than eight hours.

By contrast, the results of most other tests weren't meaningfully affected by fasting duration. Fasting for more than 12 hours also didn't produce any additional significant differences in the results of any of the tests included in the study.

The researchers noted that their findings may support pursuing fasting requirements based on the type of test rather than applying a uniform rule to all blood tests.

The researchers highlighted that the findings don't mean that pre-test fasting instructions provided by a physician or laboratory should be eliminated, nor do they prove that fasting is unnecessary in all cases either.

Rather, they provide data that could help prompt a reassessment of fasting requirements, particularly since the practice has historically been associated with glucose and lipid testing before expanding to larger panels of blood tests.

Pre-test fasting remains a standard practice for certain blood tests, intended to limit the effects of food and drink on some results. However, the need for pre-test fasting varies depending on the type of test and its medical purpose. (QNA)