4 Things To Measure Instead of Blood Sugar Spikes (For those without diabetes)

Jul 17

Have you heard about 'blood sugar spikes'? Or continuous glucose monitors, also known as CGMs? If so, I'm not surprised. There's a huge craze for monitoring blood sugar levels...in people without diabetes.

You might think, 'Well diabetes is having too much sugar in your blood so monitoring my levels must be a good idea' - and that is what the very clever marketing teams would like you to believe. But... there is no evidence that using a CGM when you dont have diabetes is beneficial or reduces your risk of disease.

When we break it down, this makes sense.

First things first, a quick rundown of normal energy metabolism - when we eat carbohydrates we break these down into glucose which is absorbed into the bloodstream. This results in a short-term increase in blood sugar. This increase in blood sugar triggers the release of insulin. Insulin allows glucose to enter our cells and so exit the bloodstream. This results in our blood sugar levels returning to a safe level and cells getting the energy they need.

In type 2 diabetes, the body can no longer make enough insulin OR the cells do not respond strongly enough to insulin OR both, so blood sugar levels remain higher than is healthy and for longer than is healthy.

Having 'spikes' after eating does not cause diabetes, rather prolonged high blood sugars after eating is a symptom of diabetes - this is so key. Re-read that.

People with diabetes need to monitor blood sugars regularly to ensure their medical management is correct and to prevent dangerously high or low blood sugars.

The final point to consider is that your blood sugar level at any point is influenced by much more than just what you have eaten. For example, stress, a bad night's sleep and dehydration can all increase your blood sugar regardless of what you have eaten. While exercise and having had lentils the day before can both lower your blood sugar, again, regardless of what you have eaten.

And so if you do not have diabetes you are much much much better off measuring something that we know can improve your health. This includes:

Blood pressure

In 2021, 100 million people in Europe had some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and these diseases cause 1 in 3 deaths globally. Having high blood pressure increases your risk of CVD - including stroke or heart attack. Most people dont have any symptoms of high blood pressure, so it often goes unnoticed, and so untreated for years. The NHS is now urging people over 40 to get their blood pressure tested for free at GPs/pharmacies.

What do my results mean?

The healthy range is between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg

High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher

Blood pressure is a quick, easy and free way to accurately measure your risk of heart disease that would be a much better use of your time than faffing about with an (expensive) CGM.

Waist circumference

Waist circumference is a simple, easy measurement that may be more helpful than weight. This is because having excess fat around your middle is a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and CVD.

Women of all ethnicities: Low risk is less than 31.5 inches.

For most men: Low risk is less than 37 inches, for South Asian men low risk is less than 35 inches.

Note - Your waist size is not usually the same as your jeans size. This is a good guide to measure WC.

While measuring your blood sugars after eating tells you nothing about your risk of disease, your WC gives you a clear indicator of risk.

Sleep

We spoke a lot about sleep here because it is so essential for every aspect of health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommends at least 7 hours of sleep per day for adults. habitually getting less than this was associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Lack of sleep is linked to an increase in the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and a decrease in the satiety hormone leptin. A meta-analysis found habitual short sleep time to be significantly associated with obesity. Poor sleep is associated with reduced physical activity.

If you are struggling to get 7 hours, improving your sleep will support your health much more than a CGM ever will.

Movement

Living a sedentary life is a key risk factor for a whole host of conditions. As this review puts it, a sedentary lifestyle has 'wide-ranging adverse impacts on the human body including increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer risk, and risks of metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; musculoskeletal disorders such as arthralgia and osteoporosis; depression; and, cognitive impairment.'. I couldn't say it better myself.

It is recommended that per week healthy adults do at least :