Steady glucose monitoring (CGM) know-how has revolutionized diabetes administration, offering real-time insights into blood sugar ranges for people with diabetes. Whereas CGMs have immense advantages for this particular inhabitants, the thought of utilizing them for weight reduction among the many common public has turn out to be extra fashionable. This weblog critically examines the potential dangers and limitations of repurposing CGMs for weight reduction.
The muse of CGMs: Diabetes administration
Steady Glucose Monitoring (CGM) techniques are superior medical gadgets that monitor glucose ranges in real-time.They’re made up of a tiny sensor that’s inserted beneath the pores and skin to measure the quantity of glucose within the interstitial fluid. A receiver or smartphone receives knowledge from the sensor, which offers ongoing updates on blood sugar ranges. By offering a dynamic view of glucose swings, this know-how permits folks with diabetes to make educated choices about their meals, insulin dosage, and general diabetes administration.
For diabetics, real-time blood sugar monitoring via CGMs provides exact and up-to-the-minute data on glucose ranges.This accuracy permits immediate actions to cease probably dangerous spikes or dips, enhancing glycemic management. Moreover, CGMs supply perception into how sure meals and way of life selections have an effect on blood sugar, enabling individualized remedy methods. Speedy adjustments which might be detected early may also help forestall extreme hypo- or hyperglycemia, thereby reducing the danger of issues from diabetes.
The connection between blood sugar and weight
The intricate relationship between blood sugar ranges and weight acquire reveals a fancy interaction that goes past easy caloric consumption.
Blood sugar rises after we eat proteins and carbs (and specifically, with carbs). This can be a fully regular response, and never one we must always purpose to keep away from. When blood sugar rises, the physique releases insulin to facilitate glucose uptake into cells. Once more, completely regular response, and most of us, particularly these of us with out diabetes, don’t should micromanage and even fear about this bodily course of.
What we do usually wish to keep away from, is having giant blood glucose spikes all through the day. These are thought to result in an elevated threat for heart problems (though a weight-reduction plan that causes giant insulin spikes is probably going extremely refined, which can also be a threat issue for coronary heart illness).
For some folks, consumption of enormous quantities of extremely refined carbohydrate meals can result in weight acquire, which is among the main threat components for insulin resistance.
Insulin is just not the evil monster that plenty of social media personalities make it appear. The Carbohydrate Insulin Idea – which states that weight reduction can’t happen when insulin ranges are elevated (and due to this fact we must always all be consuming a low-carb weight-reduction plan) – is questionable. Each low carb and low calorie diets work for weight reduction once they’re sustained over the long-term, main many respected researchers to imagine that it’s calorie steadiness, not insulin, that’s answerable for weight reduction.
In actual fact, the recent DIETFITS trial concluded that not solely do low-carb and low-fat diets produce comparable outcomes for weight reduction, however insulin ranges don’t affect weight reduction. Some interpretations argue that each teams had a discount in glycemic load which then led to weight reduction.
We do know, nonetheless, that ultra-processed, refined meals are metabolized faster and supply extra power aka energy to the physique over much less processed choices. Whereas I’d by no means advocate chopping ultra-processed meals out altogether, limiting them is one thing we must always all try in direction of.
Examine why I need you to eat processed meals.
Each excessive and low blood sugar ranges wield a big affect over cravings, power ranges, and general consuming habits. When steep blood sugar spikes and crashes happen, significantly after consuming sugary or refined carbohydrate-rich meals, the physique experiences a shift in power. This rollercoaster impact can result in heightened starvation, cravings, and an elevated probability of overeating.
These fluctuations in blood sugar ranges can instigate a vicious cycle of poor consuming habits. The hunt for fast power fixes via sugary snacks can result in additional blood sugar spikes and crashes, perpetuating unhealthy patterns. Consequently, fostering steady blood sugar ranges via balanced meals wealthy in complicated carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and wholesome fat turns into pivotal in curbing cravings, sustaining power, and selling general more healthy consuming habits.
Utilizing a CGM for weight reduction
The way forward for CGM know-how appears to be shifting to prospects within the realm of weight administration. Ongoing analysis is delving into extra intricate points of glucose fluctuations and their relationship with metabolism and weight.
Superior algorithms are being developed to reinforce the predictive capabilities of CGMs, providing people real-time insights into how totally different meals and actions affect their blood sugar ranges.
The present IRB examine with 50,000 members is accumulating knowledge CGM knowledge over 5 years to find out if using CGMs may also help folks with weight reduction, with a 1 yr comply with up interval. Each women and men 18 years and above are eligible for this examine together with different particular standards.
The estimated examine completion date is November 2027. This examine is taken into account a scientific trial and it’s wanting into using CGM’s within the non-diabetic inhabitants to go with Signos cell well being platform.
Major final result measures embrace figuring out the typical fasting glucose and the change in weight in variety of kilos. Secondary final result measures embrace physique composition reminiscent of proportion of physique fats. One other secondary final result measure is proportion of time spent in vary glucose ranges lower than 140.
Whereas the first objective of CGMs stays diabetes administration, their potential purposes for weight administration are being explored. CGMs can present knowledge on how particular meals and dietary patterns have an effect on blood sugar ranges, providing a customized method to weight reduction. By understanding how sure meals trigger speedy blood sugar spikes or crashes, people can make extra knowledgeable selections to stabilize their power ranges and scale back cravings.
Whereas it may be informative to see what results totally different meals have on our blood sugar personally, I actually don’t suppose non-diabetics want to make use of CGMs for weight reduction or general well being. Selecting extra entire and minimally processed meals, fewer sugary drinks and fewer alcohol, and being energetic as a lot as attainable are all fundamental steps to raised well being and weight reduction that many people haven’t but mastered.
If you happen to don’t have the fundamentals down, a CGM isn’t going to magically enable you to.
CGM for Weight Loss: Potential Challenges and Issues
Because the idea of repurposing CGMs for weight reduction good points traction, it’s essential to deal with the potential challenges and issues related to this method. Whereas CGMs have confirmed immensely helpful in diabetes administration, their software to weight reduction calls for a cautious examination of the constraints that may come up.
1. Overemphasis on Numbers Over Nicely-Being
One of many main considerations when utilizing CGMs for weight reduction is the danger of fixating solely on blood sugar numbers, probably overshadowing the broader points of well being and well-being. Inserting extreme significance on data-driven outcomes would possibly result in a slender perspective of general wellness. A give attention to glucose ranges could divert consideration from important components reminiscent of psychological well being, emotional well-being, and sustainable way of life habits.
2. Unrealistic Expectations and Fast Fixes
Whereas CGMs can present real-time insights, anticipating them to be a whole device for weight administration oversimplifies a fancy situation. Weight reduction encompasses multifaceted components, together with dietary selections, bodily exercise, sleep, and stress administration. It must also embrace self-regulation and starvation and fullness cues, in addition to satisfaction and satiety from meals.
Relying solely on CGM knowledge would possibly inadvertently promote the notion that weight reduction may be achieved via know-how alone, neglecting the significance of objective setting and long-term approaches. Elevated knowledge and consciousness is just not sufficient to vary behaviour! CGMs usually are not the be all finish all of weight reduction and may be seen as unrealistic.
3. Disordered Consuming and Emotional Affect
The potential for CGMs to set off or exacerbate disordered consuming behaviors is a vital concern. Fixed monitoring of blood sugar ranges would possibly inadvertently encourage obsessive behaviors round meals consumption and train, contributing to an unhealthy preoccupation with numbers. Furthermore, the emotional toll of striving to take care of particular blood sugar ranges – particularly when not clinically related – can result in heightened stress and anxiousness, probably compromising psychological well-being.
4. Potential for Misinterpretation and Misinformation
Deciphering CGM knowledge precisely requires an understanding of physiology and vitamin. With out correct steering from healthcare professionals, people would possibly misread fluctuations in blood sugar ranges, resulting in pointless dietary restrictions or insufficient responses to real well being considerations. Misinformation may simply unfold via on-line communities and social media, compounding potential dangers. Everybody is just not educated on utilizing CGMs, as they weren’t created for the higher public.
5. Value, if not lined by insurance coverage
This could turn out to be a really costly device to assist in weight reduction ranging wherever from $100-$300 per thirty days.
It’s additionally essential to notice that in some situations, utilizing a CGM if you aren’t diabetic could also be inflicting individuals who really need one to outlive, to lose some entry to those instruments.
About Nutrisense.io
Nutrisense is an organization that provides a complete app-based device for monitoring and analyzing how numerous components reminiscent of meals, sleep, train, and stress have an effect on glucose ranges. This device seems to be significantly geared toward people with or with out diabetes who wish to acquire insights into their glucose responses all through the day with the intention to shed pounds and higher their general well being.
Nutrisense io does work with dietitians. They’ve truly contacted me to collaborate, however I declined. Some dietitians imagine that CGMs are helpful for individuals who don’t have diabetes. Once more, whereas I feel it may be attention-grabbing to see your private glucose response to totally different meals, I don’t suppose the outcomes are clinically related for almost all of non-diabetics.
The app makes use of Steady Glucose Monitoring know-how to offer real-time knowledge on glucose ranges, and evidently Nutrisense takes care of the CGM prescriptions for its members. Nonetheless, the service comes with a value, with subscription plans beginning at $299 per thirty days for a 3-month subscription or $225 per thirty days for a 12-month dedication. It’s price noting that Nutrisense is just not lined by insurance coverage.
The Nutrisense app claims to show customers eat in a greater approach and to begin making the precise meals selections that can assist to attain weight reduction objectives. This could all be performed with no CGM, however okay.
The sort of service may probably be priceless for people seeking to higher perceive and handle their glucose ranges for well being functions, however once more, there’s actually no want for many of us to drill our well being all the way down to this degree.
CGM for weight reduction: On-line Claims
On-line vitamin claims have turn out to be more and more prevalent, typically promising fast fixes and outcomes by buying some type of product.
Over on TikTok, for instance, some man named Klint claims he’s reducing weight from utilizing his CGM. Klint shares that after 2 weeks he has misplaced 30 kilos as a result of CGM. He makes use of the app to trace his glucose ranges primarily based on totally different patterns. When his glucose is just not elevated, he claims to be in “weight reduction mode” and when he has small spikes it’s “wholesome consuming mode” after which a number of excessive spikes in glucose is “weight acquire”.
This type of pondering reveals an actual misunderstanding of how the physique works.
He mentions staying in storage mode causes weight acquire, and that he gained 3 kilos from a meal. Somebody wants to inform Klint that that 3 kilos isn’t fats.
When he eats “good,” he loses weight, and when he eats “dangerous,” he good points weight. He explains that consuming extra pure meals and fewer processed meals helped him lose the load.
Klint is making it look like the CGM is what’s making him shed pounds when in actuality, it’s in all probability the approach to life adjustments he’s making to his weight-reduction plan.
It’s little question that CGMs have their objective within the diabetic world. Individuals wanting particularly for weight reduction shouldn’t be relying solely on CGM know-how.
People ought to undertake a multifaceted method that integrates customized vitamin, bodily exercise, mindfulness, and psychological well-being. Registered dietitians play a pivotal function in guiding people via this journey, offering evidence-based suggestions and fostering real looking expectations which might be particular to at least one’s wants and way of life.
The prospect of utilizing CGMs for weight reduction provides a glimpse right into a future the place know-how intersects with wellness. Nonetheless, navigating this path requires cautious consideration of potential challenges and moral dilemmas.
Whereas CGMs have revolutionized diabetes administration, their software to weight reduction calls for a cautious and complete method that values general well being and well-being above mere knowledge factors. Follow the fundamentals and be constant, as a substitute of leaning to CGMs to information weight reduction.
