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You Can Guess How Food Affects Your Energy Levels—or You Can Get a Continuous Glucose Monitor

Non-diabetics may benefit from knowing their blood sugar levels, too.

Man holding phone to blood glucose monitor on arm

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People with diabetes have controlled their blood sugar levels with continuous glucose monitors since the devices first hit the market in 1999 (1). Now, non-diabetics have discovered the potential benefits of tracking blood sugar. And many companies offer continuous glucose monitoring programs for people without diabetes.

The idea behind a continuous glucose monitor is simple: Instead of guessing where your blood sugar levels are, a tiny sensor under the skin measures your glucose every few minutes and sends the info directly to the device. Many models even connect to your smartphone, so you can scope out trends and check your blood sugar anytime.

For people with diabetes, continuous glucose monitors offer clear benefits for minimizing blood sugar emergencies and health complications. But what if you’re diabetes-free?

CGMs for Non-Diabetics

Strapping on a continuous glucose monitor may help determine how foods affect your blood sugar (read: energy) levels. Concrete info can give you the motivation to optimize your diet for health and mental and physical performance. Who knows, it may even help you avoid the diet and blood sugar patterns that lead to diabetes—an essential step if you’ve already been diagnosed with prediabetes (1, 2).

A study published in Clinical Diabetes found that 87 percent of continuous glucose monitor users tweaked their food choices based on the data from the device (1). However, we should note that the research on the perks of using a continuous glucose monitor without diabetes is pretty sparse. So, only time will tell if and how these devices offer any health benefits.

But if you want to learn more about your blood sugar levels, we’ve got you covered. There are many glucose monitor programs that can clue you into what effect your diet and lifestyle have on your blood sugar levels. Here are three of the best.

3 Continuous Glucose Monitor Programs for Non-Diabetics

Veri

This program pairs the Abbott Freestyle Libre 2 monitor with an app that provides personalized, actionable insights to optimize your diet and lifestyle. The device itself is tiny, sits on the back of your arm, and eliminates the need for finger pricks. Inserting the sensor is practically painless, and once it’s set, you’re good for 14 days. Scan the continuous glucose monitor with the app before bed and again in the morning—or more often, if you’d like—to gather your glucose info. The app then goes to work analyzing your response to food. It also pulls in your sleep and activity data from other apps to give a well-rounded view of your metabolic health.

Signos

Signos is billed as a weight loss and management program. Attach the continuous glucose monitor to the back of your arm, automatically sending your glucose data via Bluetooth to the accompanying AI-powered app. You can log what you eat and drink and see an ongoing graph of your glucose levels to understand how they’re impacted by food and exercise. When your glucose spikes, the app will share a recommendation to help bring it back down.

Nutrisense

Like the other programs, Nutrisense includes a discrete continuous glucose monitor that stays on the back of your arm and pairs with an app. The app provides real-time insights into how your blood sugar is affected by food, sleep, exercise, and stress. What sets Nutrisense apart from other programs is unlimited in-app chat communication with a personal dietitian. The dietitian helps you decode data and provides goal-oriented recommendations to guide you along your journey.

References

About the author

Lauren Bedosky is award-winning health and fitness journalist with bylines in top magazines and websites like Redbook, LIVESTRONG.com, Runner’s World, and Men’s Health.