Добавить новость
smi24.net
News in English
Июль
2023

Why are non-diabetics suddenly wearing continuous glucose monitors?

0

“Let’s see what a Snickers bar does to my blood sugar,” Justin Richard, a 52-year-old Toronto-based TikToker says just before eating the candy bar on camera. After an edited time skip, Richard says, “It’s been several hours since I’ve had the chocolate bar, let’s have a look at the glucose monitor and see what actually happened.” He slightly lifts his arm flashing the device, an inconspicuous blue circular patch that almost looks like a Band-Aid. Above his head flashes a screenshot of his blood glucose reading, which appears to have spiked, dipped, and spiked again. “I had a spike in my blood sugar,” he says. “That's not a shock because this is loaded with sugar.” A red ‘X’ graphic appears over some b-roll of the Snickers bar. “I did this test because I’m trying to establish a benchmark.”

This is a typical 60-second TikTok from Richard, whose handle is @insulinresistant1 on the platform. In the following clip, Richard eats a cup of broccoli before eating another full Snickers bar, then goes on to share the results of his blood glucose levels from his personal continuous glucose monitor. He eats this oddball combination to show how variations in his food intake can impact or even prevent a blood glucose spike.

Continuous glucose monitors (or CGMs) have long been used as a tool to track blood sugar levels for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Here’s the thing, though: Richard does not have diabetes.

While monitoring sugar intake is standard practice for people on tight blood sugar control treatment plans and those with persistently low blood glucose levels, modern CGM devices – non-invasive wearables that can attach to the back of an arm for weeks at a time – have become a popular wellness trend on social media. Users like Richard that have integrated a CGM into their daily life have stormed platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Some internet health coaches and dieticians have trumpeted their praise. On TikTok, the hashtags #insulinresistance has 1.2 billion views, while #continuousglucosemonitor has over 32.7 million views. Richard, who has over 800,000 TikTok followers, is just one influencer who helped fuel this trend. On his page, which he started during the pandemic, showcases him eating a wide range of foods and drinks, from sodas to chocolate bars, reacting to readings emitting from his Signos-sponsored CGM device.

Richard says he got into continuous glucose monitoring to “optimize his health” and prevent chronic illness, which was especially important to him considering his extensive family history of Type 2 diabetes. “It's like having a coach,” he said in an interview. “But the coach is telling you to do something.” That something was to make some pretty dramatic dietary changes. “'I'm not a healthcare professional and I don't pretend to be. All of my tests are about my blood sugar, and what I read online and how it affects me,” he said, adding that his disclaimer that “individual results will vary” is a key part of his messaging.

Getty Images

Blood glucose monitoring devices are not new. In the late 1990s, medical companies like Medtronic, Dexcom and Abbott revolutionized the way diabetes could be managed. The importance of continuous glucose monitoring for patients is well established as a means of improving glycemic control, especially in the case of Type 1 diabetes.

CGMs are a vital tool for preventing diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication seen in Type 1 diabetic patients. When sugar levels are too high and the body begins to break down fat as fuel, it can lead to a high amount of acid circulation in the bloodstream. For non-diabetics, however, complications stemming from extremely high or low blood sugar levels isn’t a concern. There is little to no research to back that monitoring blood glucose levels in generally healthy adults equates to an overall improvement in health. 

Getty Images

Dr. Idz, another TikToker with over 1.7 million followers, calls the use of CGM devices for adults without any prescribed medical need a “feature of disordered eating.” Dr. Idz, short for Idrees Mughal, is a board-certified UK-trained medical doctor with expertise in nutritional research. He became a prominent figure when he started rebuking the “nonsense health information” circulating on TikTok that “prey[s] on people's vulnerabilities.” He says CGMs aren’t really intended for non-diabetics because “our body is designed to regulate the spike.” Dr. Idz says people need to understand that spiking blood glucose is not a problem. In fact, that is supposed to happen when you eat food. “Even protein can spike your blood glucose, and no one is really hyped about that, right?”

Although there may not be an inherent physical risk for people who wear a CGM device to monitor and track sugar levels, there is a real possibility that access to “too much data” can lead to information overload, false alarms, unnecessary anxiety, confusion or misinterpretation. Slight fluctuations in blood sugar levels are normal in people who don’t have diabetes. Dr. Robert Shmerling, a senior faculty editor for Harvard Health Publishing and author of “Is blood sugar monitoring without diabetes worthwhile?” writes that, “we're at the very beginning of the learning curve for home monitoring of blood sugar in people without diabetes. Before buying into what may be the next fad in health monitoring, I think we need to learn a lot more.”

Still, it’s no surprise that more people are interested in experimenting with CGM devices. Not only are TikTokers promoting blood glucose monitoring as an indicator of health and wellness, but ads for CGM devices from up-and-coming brands like Nutrisense, Veri and Signos have been flooding social media.

The companies use language designed to sell the average person on the importance of regularly tracking blood sugar levels as a way to lose weight or as a “metabolism hack.” The idea is that eating refined carbs and sugary foods can spike blood glucose levels and, over time, the cells that are supposed to take up insulin and regulate glucose production in the liver become resistant to the hormone due to habitual bad dieting. Heather Davis, a registered and licensed dietitian and nutritionist at Nutrisense denies that the company promises weight loss through glucose monitoring. “A CGM is not a weight loss device per se,” she said. “The CGM is simply one tool among many that may support insights into how different dietary and lifestyle approaches influence metabolic health, including weight factors.”

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Dr. Idz would disagree with Nutrisense on that. He argues that the vast majority of people won't even know how to interpret CGM results. “Even me as a medical doctor, I would probably need to look at some reference values for each individual, you know, perhaps have to do some calculations. And that's me who's actually a medical doctor. Imagine the average person who's just going, ‘oh, my gosh, I've had a spike. That must mean it's bad, right?’ You don't even know how to interpret it. So it's going to be completely useless.”

Nutrisense’s Davis concedes that there is limited research currently looking at CGM use in non-diabetic populations, but she argues that “once upon a time, there was also limited research looking at CGM use in diabetic populations” and that the “risks of wearing a CGM are extremely minimal for most people.” Still, the FDA has never recommended continuous glucose monitoring for healthy individuals. It has only even approved a handful of devices for people who do suffer from diabetes. Although it may be useful for predicting a risk for pre-diabetes and diabetes, there is a consensus that more scientific studies are needed to observe CGM use among healthy populations.

Companies marketing their wearables to healthy people are entering a crowded, but growing market that’s ripe for exploitation. There is arguably an enormous opportunity for companies advertising to healthy individuals to reap financial benefits from the latest health fad.

Signos

TikToker Richard says he thinks continuous glucose monitoring is only going to grow from here. “I don't think this trend is going to end anytime soon,” he said. “Anybody and every country that's adopted this fast food, highly processed diet is having this same increase in Type 2 diabetes and you really can't ignore it. So I think this trend is gonna continue as long as this fast food is so prevalent.” Dr. Idz, on the other hand, would argue that if you want to prevent diabetes, “that's fine but you're not going to do it by wearing a CGM because you know, as long as you're not insulin resistant, you'll find that you don't need you don't need a CGM.”

To make matters worse, not only are CGMs questionably useful for healthy individuals, but they can be expensive, too. The devices must be replaced every seven to 14 days depending on the manufacturer. Nutrisense does not accept insurance coverage on the grounds it is a “wellness program,” with monthly subscriptions starting at $225 and no-commitment plans reaching $399 a month. Competitors like Signos, which accepts insurance with a diabetes diagnosis, offers a monthly plan for its wearable and monitoring app, and that costs upwards of $449 a month. Veri may accept insurance, depending on the provider. And even though it’s able to dramatically undercut its competitors, the monthly fee of between $40 to $109 is hardly cheap. Richard, who has historically paid out of pocket for his CGM devices, believes the high cost is going to “save him money in the long run.”

Unfortunately, these lofty prices don’t just affect health-conscious TikTokers. Access to CGM devices for diabetic populations can be spotty. Individuals covered by Medicaid are less likely to have one covered, especially people of color, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Aside from the technology’s often inaccessible price points, some experts argue that there simply isn't enough guidance from the scientific community on CGM applications for healthy individuals. The ADA does not recommend CGM device use by healthy people, only clearly stating that the technology should be considered “from the outset of the diagnosis of diabetes that requires insulin management.”

Dr. Idz takes this a step further, stating flatly that “there is no evidence whatsoever that blunting blood sugar spikes does anything for our health.” He backs up his argument with research from a retrospective and randomized trial that focused on the impact of blood glucose monitoring in diabetic and non-diabetic populations. Dr. Idz says, if anything, research suggests that a low average blood glucose level is bad for you and might increase mortality risk over time due to diminished consumption of healthy nutrients and decreased liver function.

Harvard’s Dr. Shmerling reports he could not find a published study suggesting that monitoring blood glucose levels directly translated into improved health. “Unfortunately, some makers of CGM systems aren't waiting for solid research results to market these devices to healthy people. So, consumers and marketing professionals — not researchers or doctors — may wind up driving demand for the product,” Dr. Shmerling writes. Despite the lacking body of evidence to support blood glucose monitoring among healthy populations, the inflated price points for direct to consumer products, and the technological handicaps still present in the burgeoning industry, the growing popularity of CGMs among health and fitness enthusiasts does not seem to be slowing down.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/why-are-non-diabetics-suddenly-wearing-continuous-glucose-monitors-161506594.html?src=rss







Почему новостройки на Северном Кипре — это лучшее решение для жизни и инвестиций

Оркестр полиции Республики Сербской впервые выступит на фестивале «Спасская башня» в Москве

Мичков внесен в Книгу знаменитых людей Кунгура, сообщил директор кунгурского музея: «Никаких его трофеев в музее пока нет, к сожалению»

«Ужас, который я пережила, никому не пожелаю!»  Алёна Блин взяла в заложники ловца в новой серии «Погони» на ТНТ


Las 'Guerreras del Agua' se dan un baño de bronce en el Mundial de Singapur

Brit Who Fought Usyk Calls For Daniel Dubois To ‘Leave The Sport’ After Staying Down In Rematch

La UFC anuncia un mes de octubre mayúsculo

Madeline Brewer Marries Jack Thompson-Roylance in England!


НПС построит новые съезды с Северо-Восточной хорды

В Фатеже два человека пострадали в ДТП

Monochamus scutellatus

Вредоносный код в Firefox: атака на цепочку поставок через NPM-пакеты


Brütal Legend is free in honor of Ozzy Osbourne, but only for 666 minutes

'I destroyed months of your work in seconds' says AI coding tool after deleting a devs entire database during a code freeze: 'I panicked instead of thinking'

Microsoft warns of 'active attacks' on its government and business server tech, with one cybersecurity expert claiming that they should 'assume that you have been compromised'

Краткая биографическая справка о центральных персонажах Mafia: The Old Country



В Санкт-Петербурге обсудили внедрение ИИ в разработку и оптимальные корпоративные архитектуры

Технологии будущего: MGIMO Ventures объявляет старт четвертого сезона акселерационной программы

«Деловые Линии» сократили сроки авиаперевозок по более чем 4400 направлений по России

Utrace запускает услугу по валидации IT-систем для фармацевтического рынка


В Санкт-Петербурге обсудили внедрение ИИ в разработку и оптимальные корпоративные архитектуры

Сразу до +35 градусов: синоптики рассказали, когда снова вернется жара. Ждать осталось недолго

Технологии будущего: MGIMO Ventures объявляет старт четвертого сезона акселерационной программы

В студии Детского радио прошла церемония гашения почтовой марки


Сотрудники Волоколамского ОВО – филиала ФГКУ «УВО ВНГ России по Московской области» приняли участие в памятных мероприятиях, посвященных Дню ветерана боевых действий.

Прогноз погоды на сегодня, 25 июля

В Лианозове проходит фотовыставка «Алюминий – метрополитену»

Трагедия для всей России: наша любимая актриса из "Служебного романа" скончалась на 82-м году жизни


Мальцев и Платонова взяли серебро ЧМ, Бублик вышел в полуфинал Кицбюэля. Главное к утру

Болбой раздавил спасенного теннисисткой Cаккари жука на турнире WTA-500 в США

Сидоренко из России одержал победу и стал чемпионом по настольному теннису на Универсиаде.

Винус Уильямс получила wild card на турнир категории WTA 1000 в Цинциннати


Эксгумация Беринга: что нашли ученые в его могиле спустя 250 лет

Три кузбасских ветерана СВО выступят на чемпионате «Абилимпикс» в Казани

В Ростовской области обломки БПЛА привели к задержке 10 пассажирских поездов

Пять земельных участков для размещения НКО доступны на городских торгах


Музыкальные новости

Невозможное возможно: две подопечные фонда «Жизнь в Движении» с ограниченными возможностями покорят вершину Эльбруса

Кабинет Артиста. Яндекс кабинет артиста.

ГУАП в топ-20 рейтинга технических вузов России

Менеджер Артиста. Менеджер по работе с артистами.


Технологии будущего: MGIMO Ventures объявляет старт четвертого сезона акселерационной программы

«Деловые Линии» сократили сроки авиаперевозок по более чем 4400 направлений по России

Росгвардия и МЧС провели совместные учения в Москве

В Санкт-Петербурге обсудили внедрение ИИ в разработку и оптимальные корпоративные архитектуры


Лео Канделаки и Анжелика Стубайло сыграют в новую трэвел-игру «Кто куда» на ТНТ

Путин выразил соболезнования близким погибших в авиакатастрофе с Ан-24

Группа Аквилон передала государству первые квартиры

Аудиосказки про Турбозавров теперь на Яндекс Музыке!


В Москве росгвардейцы оказали помощь пострадавшей в ДТП мотоциклистке (видео)

Несколько автомобилей столкнулись на внешней стороне 92-го км МКАД

На Крымском мосту восстановили движение автотранспорта

В столичном главке Росгвардии проведён смотр спецтехники


В сентябре Путину будет представлена обновленная программа строительства кораблей для ВМФ.

Путин дал указание рассмотреть проблемы онкологии в Архангельской области.

"Ультиматум Трампа: потенциальные последствия для Путина"

Соболезнования в связи с авиакатастрофой в Амурской области выразили зарубежные лидеры


Депздрав Москвы оценил ситуацию с распространением нового штамма коронавируса

Депздрав: новый штамм коронавируса «стратус» фиксируют в Москве с мая

Штамм коронавируса "стратус" захватил 22% всех вирусных заболеваний в Москве

Новый штамм коронавируса "стратус" фиксируют в Москве с мая



Utrace запускает услугу по валидации IT-систем для фармацевтического рынка

Новый штамм коронавируса "стратус" фиксируют в Москве с мая

Фитнес-марафоны на паузе: суд продлил домашний арест блогеру Лерчек

Пластический хирург Софья Абдулаева: подтяжка груди нитями - эффективно ли это



Пять земельных участков для размещения НКО доступны на городских торгах

"Монсон о спортсменах, которые меняют гражданство в сложный период для России"

«Каникулы с Росгвардией» проходят в регионах Центральной России

Две трети россиян считают, что спортсмены зарабатывают слишком много


Лукашенко поделился мнением о самой идеальной профессии.

Лукашенко посоветовал не злить его и не допускать падежа в животноводстве

Лукашенко заявил, что в Белоруссии «на всякий случай» готовятся к войне


Сергей Собянин. Главное за день

Сергей Собянин поздравил москвича — победителя международной олимпиады по физике


Исследование выявило снижение инвестиций в экологически чистую энергетику США.

Детеныш боливийской ночной обезьяны родился в Московском зоопарке

видео пожаров на Кипре стало доступно общественности

Ученые исследуют биоразнообразие почвы в нацпарке «Лосиный Остров»


«Был пар и вибрация»: пассажиры жаловались на состояние Ан-24 перед катастрофой

Сотрудники Волоколамского ОВО – филиала ФГКУ «УВО ВНГ России по Московской области» приняли участие в памятных мероприятиях, посвященных Дню ветерана боевых действий.

В Лианозове проходит фотовыставка «Алюминий – метрополитену»

Солнечная погода и до 29 градусов тепла ожидаются в Москве 25 июля


Путин дал указание рассмотреть проблемы онкологии в Архангельской области.

В Архангельске началось обучение бойцов СВО, сообщил Цыбульский.

Настольный термотрансферный принтер штрих-кодов iDPRT iE4P

В Нарьян-Маре из-за холодов возобновили подачу отопления в дома


Прогноз погоды в Крыму на 25 июля

"Россия дала мне возможность быть счастливым": Джефф Монсон в Крыму

Россияне выбирают Крым для отдыха с детьми – названы города-лидеры

В центре Балаклавы изменят дорожное движение – причины и сроки


Прогноз погоды на сегодня, 25 июля

Пир на Волге и новый штамм ковида: главные новости Ярославля за 24 июля

В Ростовской области обломки БПЛА привели к задержке 10 пассажирских поездов

Врач Галлямова: сухие шампуни могут навредить коже головы














СМИ24.net — правдивые новости, непрерывно 24/7 на русском языке с ежеминутным обновлением *