New Study Using CGMs Reveals Surprising Truth About Your Blood Sugar

Jul 9, 2025

Dr. Cristina Nigro, a Neuroscience Program Officer at the Baszucki Group, dives into groundbreaking research on personalized nutrition. She reveals that blood sugar responses to foods can vary dramatically between individuals, spotlighting the study that categorized people as 'potato spikers' or 'grape spikers.' Further, she discusses how continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can tailor dietary guidelines and improve mental health management. By emphasizing our unique metabolic profiles, Nigro challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to diet and health.

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INSIGHT

Unique Glycemic Responses to Carbs

Individuals show unique glycemic responses to the same carb foods, demonstrated using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).
This variation indicates there's no single "best" diet fit for everyone; metabolic response influences diet effectiveness.

ADVICE

Use Mitigators to Reduce Spikes

Eating fiber, fat, or protein before carb-rich meals can help blunt blood sugar spikes for some individuals.
Use mitigators cautiously, as their effectiveness varies based on insulin sensitivity.

INSIGHT

Insulin Sensitivity Impacts Mitigation

Insulin sensitivity greatly influences how well mitigators reduce glucose spikes.
Insulin resistant individuals tend to have less benefit from mitigators compared to insulin sensitive ones.

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Did you know that your blood sugar spikes differ from everyone else's? Even with the same food!

A new study in Nature Medicine supports what many have long suspected: there is no one-size-fits-all diet. The foods that spike your blood sugar might not affect someone else the same way, and your unique metabolic profile could be the reason why.

In this episode of the Metabolic Mind podcast, Baszucki Group Neuroscience Program Officer Dr. Cristina Nigro joins Dr. Bret Scher to break down the study “Individual variations in glycemic responses to carbohydrates and underlying metabolic physiology.” This research used continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to track how different individuals respond to carbohydrate-rich foods, and the results are eye-opening.

📌 In this conversation, you’ll learn:

Which carb-containing foods were tested in the study.
Why some people were labeled “potato spikers” or “grape spikers.”
The importance of insulin sensitivity and resistance in mitigating glucose responses.
How fiber, fat, and protein consumed before a meal can blunt sugar spikes—for some people.
The role of CGMs in personalizing treatments for chronic diseases, including severe mental illness.
How this data could inform future dietary guidelines and chronic disease treatment.

It’s time to recognize that we are all unique individuals down to the cellular level and our differences mean there may be unique requirements for each of us to maintain and improve health. Tools like CGMs offer powerful insight into how your body truly responds to food, and that information can be pivotal for tailoring interventions in chronic diseases, including serious mental illnesses. We are hopeful that research like this will lead to better treatment protocols and dietary guidelines.

Expert Featured:

Cristina Nigro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristina-nigro-19394127/

Resources Mentioned:

Individual variations in glycemic responses to carbohydrates and underlying metabolic physiology

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03719-2#Sec2

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/