Continuous glucose monitoring: a game-changer
Spikes in blood glucose are harmful for everyone, not just people with diabetes. They lead to low energy, poor focus, weight gain, and long term health problems. Imagine having real-time insights into how every bite you take, every step you walk, and every moment of stress affects your body. That's exactly what continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) offers. It's not about managing diabetes; it's a powerful tool for anyone looking to shed extra pounds or optimize their metabolism. When we combine CGM data with a deep dive into a patient’s genetic determinants of how they metabolize carbohydrates, fat, protein, and different micronutrients, we can develop a truly individualized, evidence-based, optimal nutrition plan.
Cheap and easy to use
Our preferred CGM, the Freestyle Libre 2, only costs about $40. The sensor is about the size of a quarter under a little adhesive patch. It is applied to the skin of the upper arm and continuously measures your glucose level for 2 weeks. You just wave your phone over the sensor a few times a day and it gives you a continuous readout of what your glucose levels are doing.
Understanding how specific foods and activities affect you
The beauty of this tool is that it gives our patients real time feedback on how different foods, activities, and even stress affect them. People find it fascinating to witness how, to their bodies at least, one carb is not at all the same as another. Some people eat rice and find their blood sugar spikes from a healthy level of 90 up to 180! Others find that oatmeal, bread, or pasta trigger their spikes, and that rice for them is not a problem.
Another key fact patients learn about themselves is that the time of day may make a huge difference in how their bodies process carbohydrates. A certain meal at noon may cause a small rise in blood sugar, yet the exact same meal at 6 PM may cause a much larger spike. They also notice that big spikes followed by drops frequently correlate with episodes when they have low energy and focus during the day.
The CGM exposes in real time how walking, running, biking, hiking, weight lifting, or any other activity affects a patient’s unique metabolism. Armed with data, they can make informed decisions about their exercise program.
Actionable information
Once you see the spikes in your blood sugar, you can do things to eliminate them. One way to reduce the spikes for virtually everyone is to include protein and fat in a meal. Starting the meal with a few bites of the protein and fat before starting on the carbohydrates can significantly blunt the glucose spike. Another way to reduce the spike is to get some exercise after eating. This can be as simple as taking a half hour walk after dinner.
CGM can drive behavior change and weight loss
For many people, just measuring the glucose levels can be a potent driver of lifestyle change. One patient has decided to just wear a glucose monitor essentially all the time for the last few months and has been steadily losing 3 pounds per month. She watches her glucose and makes sure she never lets it get above 110. She tries to avoid her “trigger foods” that send the glucose skyrocketing. If she eats something and sees her glucose rising, she goes for a walk or does a quick jump rope session until it drops back below 110. This type of close monitoring also helps even if the spike is due to stress! If stress hormones are causing a spike in blood sugar, some exercise like a walk, run, or bike ride is a very healthy response!
Give CGM a try
If you want to know with certainty how different foods, activities, stress, and even poor sleep affect your metabolism, you should try using a CGM for a few weeks. Our patients find that it is interesting, fun, and exceedingly helpful as they go through our health optimization plan!
