Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are used to manage which condition?

• A. Type 1 diabetes
• B. Type 2 diabetes
• C. Gestational diabetes
• D. Prediabetes

Answer: (B)

These drugs slow carbohydrate digestion by inhibiting enzymes in the small intestine that break down disaccharides into glucose. By delaying absorption, they blunt the rise in blood glucose after meals. This makes them helpful for Type 2 diabetes, where controlling postprandial glucose is important and patients often need agents that address meal-related spikes in addition to baseline therapy. They’re not standard for Type 1 diabetes, since that condition requires insulin; nor are they routinely used for gestational diabetes or prediabetes, where management focuses on insulin or other agents in specific cases or primarily on lifestyle changes. Side effects are mainly gastrointestinal, due to undigested carbohydrates fermentation.