A 24-hour fasted healthy adult begins feeding. Which pathway(s) will most rapidly switch on to clear postprandial glucose, and what hormonal changes drive this?

Glucagon secretion will surge and persist to stimulate hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, which alone clear dietary glucose from the bloodstream.

Growth hormone will be the first hormone to act by directly breaking down ingested carbohydrates in the gut before they enter the bloodstream.

Cortisol will immediately spike and lower blood glucose by increasing peripheral glucose uptake through non-hormonal channels, which is the primary immediate response to feeding.

Insulin secretion will increase rapidly, promoting GLUT translocation in muscle and adipose and activating glycogenesis and lipogenesis in liver and adipose — these insulin-driven processes clear postprandial glucose fastest.