When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
EvenApple and Samsung are racing to develop noninvasive glucose monitorsto incorporate in some of thebest smartwatches.
These are the questions I sought to answer when I began my journey trialing CGMs this year.
Graph showing the worldwide search interest for CGMs increasing over the last year (Source: Google)
What is a CGM, and whos it for?
CGMs pack some pretty fascinating technology.
Under the hood, however, theres a lot going on.
Graph showing the worldwide search interest for CGMs increasing over the last year (Source: Google)
They do it in almost real-time, with a delay of just 15-30 minutes depending on the sensor.
For many people with diabetes, it’s a Godsend.
I spoke with Olivier Ropars, Division VP of Lingo Biowearables, about the companys expansion into direct-to-consumer CGMs.
He previously held positions at eBay, StubHub and McKinsey.
These includecardiovascular disease, liver failure, kidney failure, andincreased risk of developing Alzheimers.
CGMs, he argues, will have the same effect.
Many brands, such as Zoe in the UK and Super Sapiens in the US use Abbott’s CGMs paired with their own proprietary platforms for data analysis and lifestyle guidance.
Ropars says three groups of people have been particularly receptive to Lingo.
The first is people, particularly athletes, looking to optimize their health and performance.
It was very eye-opening, and I became very aware of how stress impacted my blood sugar.
Lingo by Abbott provides real-time insight into blood glucose levels, presenting spikes as “Lingo counts” and encouraging users to stay below a target each day. The target is based on your health data; factors such as age, gender and weight.
My recommendation is usually not to do it.
Despite her own positive experience, Reynolds has similar concerns about the broader use of CGMs.
I recommend them to a few clients but not the majority… Modern society has lost track of hunger signals and thirst signals.
I tried two different CGMs as part of my research for this article; Zoe Health and Lingo. While I don’t have any metabolic health diagnoses, I’ve had a lot of digestive and stress-related issues in recent months – but for me, this technology is still perhaps a little extreme.
It’s taking away from that mind-body connection.
Metzelaar also has concerns about the self-led nature of many CGM platforms.
Clearly, theres plenty of confidence from these providers that theres something in this CGM craze worth fighting for.
So, are CGMs a fad or the future of wellbeing?
