Body & Brain

Handling fruit can throw off blood-glucose tests, plus an autism gene and itchy feelings in this week’s news

Unreliable blood-glucose readings People with diabetes who monitor their blood glucose by pricking a finger can get an erroneous reading if they handle or peel fruit beforehand, two studies in the March Diabetes Care show. In one report, researchers in the Netherlands found that some people who didn’t wash their hands before taking a blood-glucose reading got widely different readings between the first and second drops measured.