A recent Washington Post article headlined, “How a device for diabetes became a wellness accessory.” Wearing a glucose monitor to measure one’s blood sugar has become a bit of a wellness trend, with some brands marketing their devices as purely for “wellness.” Besides being useful for diabetes, other conditions such as metabolic or cardiovascular issues may also benefit from a glucose monitor.
But what really do these monitors do, and what do they track?
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas, regulating blood sugar by stimulating glucose uptake by the body’s cells. Essentially, when our body is digesting food, insulin signals to our cells to reduce glucose in the bloodstream. Those with diabetes usually have trouble producing insulin, resulting in abnormally high or low blood glucose levels. This is called hyperglycemia (high glucose) and hypoglycemia (low glucose).
Conversely, ghrelin is an amino acid peptide involved in blood glucose levels. Ghrelin is found to increase the hormones in the brain that signal hunger. Ghrelin works by binding growth hormone receptors throughout the body. Because of its involvement with blood glucose, managing the body’s ghrelin levels may have potential pharmaceutical effects for treating conditions such as diabetes and metabolism disorders.
These glucose monitors measure your body’s blood glucose throughout the day. Normal blood glucose levels are considered to be 70-100 mg/dL. After eating, blood glucose is markedly higher but should still not exceed 140 mg/dL 2 hours after eating. In this sense, one could understand why tracking blood glucose through these “wellness” devices is enticing. A user would be able to see real-time data of how their blood glucose levels are changing.
What causes diabetes or conditions related to blood glucose?
There are many underlying factors that could cause conditions such as diabetes, exercise, diet, and more. But genetics are also a very strong factor, and some genetic variations are shown to have significant ties to the disease. For example, transcription factors are involved in the body’s gene expression system, and a variant in the transcription factor 7-like 2 shows a strong association to the onset of diabetes. It is possible that this transcription factor impacts the pancreatic beta cells. However, there are many factors that may contribute to your body’s ability to manage blood glucose.
In conclusion, buying a glucose monitor may have positive effects, though it also may not be necessary if one is not professionally diagnosed with a condition related to blood glucose levels. Some argue that analyzing one’s health in this way may cause unnecessary stress and negatively impact health, while others argue it provides useful insights. It may be worthwhile to consider if a glucose monitor is useful, but ultimately, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the most important.
Sources:
Brown, Audrey E, and Mark Walker. “Genetics of Insulin Resistance and the Metabolic Syndrome.” Current cardiology reports vol. 18,8 (2016): 75. doi:10.1007/s11886-016-0755-4
Bruns, David E, and William C Knowler. “Stabilization of glucose in blood samples: why it matters.” Clinical chemistry vol. 55,5 (2009): 850-2. doi:10.1373/clinchem.2009.126037.
Gilbert, Daniel. “How a device for diabetes became a wellness accessory.” The Washington Post, 5 August 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/08/05/glucose-monitors-wellness-prescription-diabetes-over-the-counter/.
Kim, Young-Im et al. “The role of continuous glucose monitoring in physical activity and nutrition management: perspectives on present and possible uses.” Physical activity and nutrition vol. 27,3 (2023): 44-51. doi:10.20463/pan.2023.0028.
Poher, Anne-Laure et al. “Ghrelin regulation of glucose metabolism.” Peptides vol. 100 (2018): 236-242. doi:10.1016/j.peptides. 2017.12.015
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Sanai, Farid et al. “Evaluation of a Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor: A Novel and Non-Invasive Wearable Using Bioimpedance Technology.” Journal of diabetes science and technology vol. 17,2 (2023): 336-344. doi:10.1177/19322968211054110.
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