Doctors have warned that diet companies that use smartphone apps to track blood sugar levels are making healthy people wrongly fear they have diabetes.
Several companies offer high-tech devices, called continuous glucose monitors, that track a client’s blood sugar levels using an adhesive patch on the arm. This transmits real-time information to a smartphone app that shows the effect different foods have on your body, before the company provides a personalized diet plan.
But Dr Nicola Guess, a diabetes expert at Oxford University, has warned of an “influx” of patients who are convinced they are developing a serious disease (or its early stages, called prediabetes) because they have not fully understood the complex. . information provided by the devices.
She said: ‘I have seen a worrying increase in the number of patients contacting me believing they are pre-diabetic because they have seen their blood sugar rise on these monitors.
‘These people are really worried because they have a serious and long-lasting illness. In fact, its levels are normal. Nutrition companies do not adequately explain what these sugar scores mean, causing unnecessary anxiety. It is alarmism.”
Doctors have warned that diet companies that use smartphone apps to monitor blood sugar levels are making healthy people wrongly fear they have diabetes.
High blood sugar levels lead to increased hunger pangs and, in the long term, are associated with a number of diseases, including obesity and heart disease. A consistently high blood sugar level is also a sign of diabetes.
However, it is normal to experience a temporary increase in blood sugar after meals. In healthy people, the body releases a hormone called insulin that converts sugar from food into energy and lowers blood sugar levels again. But some 4.9 million Britons have diabetes, meaning they do not produce enough insulin, so their blood sugar levels remain high.
Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to a variety of long-term complications, including eye problems, nerve damage and possible loss of limbs, as well as heart disease. About a tenth of these patients have type 1 diabetes, a genetic form of the disease. But the remaining 90 percent (almost 4.5 million) suffer from type 2 diabetes, caused mainly by obesity.
For the past five years, the NHS has been offering patients with diabetes continuous blood glucose monitors to help them track their blood sugar levels, instead of traditional finger stick blood tests. The device, which is no larger than a £2 coin, transmits updates to the user’s phone.
Experts say the monitors have revolutionized NHS diabetes treatment. “When these monitors are given to patients with diabetes, under the supervision of a doctor, they can make a huge difference,” says Professor David Strain, a diabetes expert at the University of Exeter Medical School. “A person’s blood sugar level is more likely to be kept under control when using a glucose monitor, which ultimately reduces the risk of serious illness in the future.”
When doctors want to know if a patient is diabetic or prediabetic they will perform an HbA1C blood test. This measures average blood sugar levels over the past three months. They may also suggest a fasting blood test, where the patient does not eat for at least eight hours before the test.
“These are reliable methods,” says Dr. Guess.
Companies that sell continuous glucose monitors, including Zoe, Lingo, and Nutrisense, instruct customers to wear the devices while collecting data on blood sugar levels (usually for about two weeks) before providing the user with a personalized diet. . However, the user can track blood sugar changes throughout the day on their phone, which is where the confusion arises.
But Dr Nicola Guess, a diabetes expert at Oxford University, has warned of an “influx” of patients who are convinced they are developing a serious disease (or its early stages, called prediabetes) because they have not fully understood the complex. . information provided by the devices.
Dr. Guess said, “A single sugar spike can’t tell you anything.” We give the patient in question an HbA1C test and his levels are perfectly normal, but one of these nutrition companies has convinced him that something is wrong with his blood sugar level.
‘It is worrying that these devices are gaining popularity. Patients think that if they experience a blood sugar spike after eating a banana, something is wrong and they should reduce their fruit consumption. It’s truly crazy.
Experts called on companies that sell continuous glucose monitors to provide their customers with more diabetes education.
“I have real reservations about how nutrition companies use these devices,” says Professor Strain. ‘Glucose monitors can be very valuable when you can get the opinion of a medical specialist. But simply handing them out and then simply offering a diet plan is irresponsible.’
A Zoe spokesperson said its app includes “detailed guidelines from Diabetes UK to understand what blood glucose levels could be problematic”, adding: “Members can access support from qualified nutrition coaches if they have any further questions.”
