Product Information
The GLCheck Test, from YorkTest Laboratories, is an important test that helps you to manage your blood sugar balance and rediscover your energy. The GLCheck test can identify those at risk of type 2 diabetes and also help individuals who have struggled to lose weight, feel tired most of the time, or who want to monitor an effective diet plan based on a low glycaemic load (GL) diet.
Key Benefits:
- Helps manage your blood sugar balance
- Can help boost energy
- Recommended for anyone that is overweight or has diabetes
- Ideal for those embarking on a low GL diet so that they can monitor progress
- Quick, easy-to-use home test
- Customer care support to advise on any queries you may have before or after receiving your results
More and more people are now trying new diets and struggling to lose weight, usually because they have followed the conventional advice of low calorie and low fat. What’s more, feeling tired and lethargic is so common for many people that we can easily forget that it’s not normal.
Central to this is your diet. The GLCheck test is the first step to finding that critical blood sugar balance and rediscovering your energy.
There is also a more significant problem that has now become an epidemic as a result of our poor diet - diabetes. The onset of diabetes is caused by your blood sugar (or glucose) being too high because your body can not use it properly, resulting in this debilitating condition.
Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges facing us today. There are two basic types of diabetes which have different underlying causes:
Type 1 diabetes - which usually occurs in children and young adults, and which has to be treated using insulin injections.
Type 2 diabetes - which is by far the biggest group, affecting 1 in 7 people over the age of 40. It has a very different underlying cause. The large majority of cases occur in later life and being overweight or obese are major reasons why it develops. So modification of diet, lifestyle and sometimes treatment with medication is the mainstay of control. Diabetes is associated with the development of circulatory problems causing illnesses such as heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and loss of feeling (and sometimes death of tissue) in the hands and feet. Overall it causes more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined.
It is type 2 diabetes that GLCheck is designed to help identify through the early detection of risk - even if there are few, if any symptoms.
The GLCheck test can also help individuals who have struggled to lose weight, feel tired most of the time, or who want to monitor an effective diet plan based on a low glycaemic load (GL) diet.
Note: You should visit your GP if you are concerned about your health, or ask your local pharmacist for advice.
Is a GLCheck for me?
The GLCheck is especially indicted for:
- Those who are overweight and especially those with abdominal weight gain.
- Women with waist measurement greater than 31.5in (80cm) who will have an increased risk of diabetes.
- Men whose waist is 37in (94cm) or more who will have an increased risk of developing diabetes.
- Asian and African origin people have a genetically greater risk.
- Those who are suffering the following symptoms:-
- Tiredness
- Lethargy
- Blurred vision
- Cuts or sores that take a long time to heal
- Itching skin or yeast infections
- Excessive thirst, dry mouth
- Frequent urination
- Leg pain
- Those with family history of diabetes. The closer the relative is, the greater the risk.
You should not take the test if you:
- are suffering from a blood-borne disease such as Hepititus or HIV
- are under 18 years of age
- are pregnant or breast feeding
- have had your spleen removed
- have already been diagnosed with diabetes
- are suffering from severe anaemia.
Early treatment and control can help prevent these side effects.
The GLCheck is a home blood test that can identify those at risk of type 2 diabetes and also help individuals who have struggled to lose weight or feel tired most of the time, and who want to monitor an effective diet plan based on a low glycaemic load (GL) diet.
Low GL diets have been shown to help break the vicious circle that leads to gaining weight and losing energy. GLCheck can help monitor the effectiveness of such diet plans and help reduce your risk of developing diabetes in the future.
Careful monitoring using GLCheck allows for early detection of risk for diabetes, and associated conditions.
For additional info, click here
FAQs
Q. How does the test work?
The test is carried out from the comfort of your home and there is no need to go to a clinic or visit a specialist. When you place an order, a test kit is sent to you in the post, which contains everything you need to collect a small blood sample. Once the sample is collected, it should be returned to us the same day to be analysed at our laboratories.
Q. When will I receive my results?
It will take 10-12 working days to send your results back to you by post. Also included will be a detailed explanation of your results plus general advice on reducing the key risks affecting diabetic health.
Q. What do the test results look like?
The results are easy to understand and provide a unique colour coded GLCheck score based on your HbA1C result. They are clearly laid out and fully explained. You can see a sample of the results here.
Q. What is in the test kit?
The test kit is sent in a tough, secure box which contains:
- Fully illustrated and complete instructions
- Antiseptic wipe
- Two simple-to-use finger prick lancets
- A blood sample collection tube
- A container tube with absorbent pad
- A small sterile plaster for you to use on your finger after the test is complete
- A reply-paid envelope for you to return the sample in.
Q. What am I going to have to send you?
Using the finger prick lancets you’ll prick your finger or thumb tip, and put a few drops of blood into the collection tube.
Follow all the instructions closely, complete the customer details form and send everything back in the reply-paid envelope.
Q. How do I complete the test kit?
Full, illustrated instructions will be sent with the kit. If you’d like to see what the instructions look like, click here.
Q. How do I prepare for the test?
Simply keep your routine as normal as possible before you take the test. There are no special preparations needed.
Q. Is posting back my sample safe?
The box that contains your kit is very strong – in all the years that the laboratory has operated they have never had any problems with tests being damaged in transit. Return your sample following the instructions, and it will be completely safe.
Q. Will any medication or nutritional supplements I am taking affect the test?
A.You cannot take any of our tests if you are pregnant or breast feeding, or taking steroids or immunosuppressants.
Q. How soon do I have to return my sample?
A. You should post your sample back to the laboratory on the same day that you take it. This stops the sample from degrading over time and gives the most accurate results. You will also need to avoid posting the sample later in the week to make sure that it arrives on a working day and processing can begin immediately. Complete the test and post back your sample on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
Q. Does the test hurt?
A. The test has been designed to be a convenient and comfortable as possible. YorkTest’s finger prick is much quicker and less painful than having a full blood draw taken. If you are at all worried, the YorkTest Customer Care Team are happy to talk to you about the best way to take your sample.
