Over-the-counter CGMs are here – but for non-diabetics, do they really make sense?
Continuous glucose monitors are no longer only suitable for patients with diabetes. Dexcom received an FDA license for its over-the-counter CGM last March, and then a few months later, its main rival Abbott won licenses for two over-the-counter CGM devices.
The FDA cleared these over-the-counter CGMs for use by patients with or without diabetes, but there are still problems with how clinicians and individuals interpret the data collected by these devices. To explore the true meaning of CGM data outside of diabetes care, researchers at General Mass in Boston conducted a study. Results released this week found that CGM readings were good with standard measures for patients with diabetes, but were less reliable among patients without the condition.
The study examined data from 972 people aged 40 and older. In this group, 421 people had type 2 diabetes, 319 had diabetes, and 232 had normal blood sugar levels.
The researchers found that while CGM indicators within the range of CGM such as standard measures that closely match mean glucose and diabetes patients, these same indicators are less consistent for people with prediabetes or normal blood sugar.
Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a physician at Mass General Brigham and one of the study authors, said the findings suggest that CGMS may be most useful rather than providing short-term lifestyle effects rather than providing a clear clinical picture.
He noted that CGM can help people see how lifestyle factors such as diet, activity and sleep affect glucose in real time.
Dr. Rodriguez said he had witnessed it was a direct CGM and had never been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes.
“I had the soup one day. I thought my soup was healthy. It turned out that the soup had rice noodles. I didn't know that these rice would just bring my sugar up – and that was quite a while. For some reason, I didn't register and it wasn't a good thing for me.
He noted that further research on consumer-oriented CGM is needed.
The large-scale Brigham Young’s study is cross-sectional, meaning the research team collected data from participants at a point in time rather than following them over a period of months or years. Dr. Rodriguez said clinicians need more longitudinal studies before they can understand whether CGM patterns in non-diabetic patients can predict long-term outcomes such as diabetes, heart disease, or stroke.
Photo: Yana Iskayeva, Getty Images
