The Wellness Scoop The Extra Scoop: The Truth About Glucose Monitors
May 15, 2025
Dr. Javier González, a Nutrition and Metabolism Professor at the University of Bath, shares valuable insights about Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs). He reveals surprising findings from his study on their effectiveness for non-diabetic adults, suggesting they might mislead users into unhealthy dietary choices. The discussion includes essential blood sugar concepts, common myths, and the emotional consequences of health tech dependency. González offers practical, science-based strategies for managing blood sugar without relying on monitors, promoting balanced lifestyle choices instead.
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CGMs Measure Interstitial Glucose
- Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) measure glucose in interstitial fluid, not directly in the bloodstream.
- This causes a time lag and differences in absolute glucose values compared to blood measurements, affecting accuracy especially in non-diabetics.
Blood Sugar Is Not Whole Health
- Using blood sugar spikes alone to judge food healthiness oversimplifies nutrition and can promote harmful dietary choices.
- For example, avoiding all carbohydrates to keep glucose flat may raise harmful cholesterol levels.
CGMs Give Misleading Food Scores
- CGMs tend to overestimate blood glucose levels and misclassify glycemic indexes of foods compared to finger prick tests.
- This leads to inaccurate feedback especially for non-diabetics trying to interpret individual food effects.