A Note from Miguel: What your blood sugar might be telling you
I hope you’re doing well!
I swore I’d be writing about Vitamin D levels at this time of the year, given the number of daylight hours we’re exposed to, or lack thereof.
If you know me well, you know how I feel about sunshine and the shorter days. I’m hanging in there… thanks..
I’ll talk about Vitamin D, the impact on health, and what I’ve seen in practice next time.
Instead, I want to talk about blood sugar.
Mostly because I'm excited that I requested a sample of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and was surprised to receive a few of the newest Dexcom sensors. They’re not cheap!
I’ve already started to implement continuous glucose monitoring in non-diabetic patients in my practice, and wanted to share a bit more on the benefits in general terms.
I won’t share de-identified clinical cases without permission. Stay tuned.
Most people think blood sugar is only a concern if you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic. The reality is, our response to sugar can impact things like hunger, sleep, or cognition (mental focus/irritability/brain fog), just to name a few. This holds true for both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.
Here’s why I’m interested in continuous glucose monitoring in non-diabetic patients.
For one, it’s so easy to use. The sensor is a small device that sits on your arm and reads your blood sugar in real time throughout the day.
Instead of guessing why certain foods or the timing of meals affect your energy, mood, or appetite, you may be able to see it.
If you start to notice patterns, you might be inclined to fuel how YOU need to.
One patient might notice a spike after oatmeal and bananas, while another stays steady with sourdough toast and eggs. One person’s “healthy smoothie” could send them soaring, while someone else barely budges.
In a 2021 study done by Dehghani Zahedani et al. researchers found that “CGM, as a part of multimodal data collection with synthesis and feedback via a smartphone app, can significantly reduce hyperglycemia in non-insulin-treated individuals, including those with early stages of glucose dysregulation.”
Translation: Tracking information in real time throughout the day can help people make better choices.
I recommend it for select patients, allowing them to see how meals, workouts, stress levels, and sleep all influence glucose patterns in real time.
This insight is especially helpful for people who:
Struggle with weight loss even though they’re doing “everything right”
Feel tired after meals or constantly crave sugar
Wake up at 3 am regularly and wonder why
Want to optimize their health and performance, and not just avoid disease
If you’re interested in learning more, here's a study that I find interesting, and I think you might too: Continuous-glucose-monitoring-in-a-healthy-populat.pdf
Reference:
Jarvis, Paul R.E. et al.Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental, Volume 146, 155640
BEHIND THE SCENES
Last weekend my mom was in town for the class I teach on Saturday mornings at CycleBar Monroe. She rode in her very first cycling class at 71 years old! I love to get into the dark studio, forget everything and anything that's on my mind for 45 minutes, and reconnect with through movement and community. Sharing that with my mom for the first time was quite an experience. Super proud of her!
