Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) are widely used by people with diabetes to track their blood sugar levels. However, new research from the University of Bath warns that CGMs may overestimate glucose levels, especially in healthy individuals. This could lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions and confusion about which foods are truly high in sugar.

What Did the Study Find?

Researchers compared CGM readings with the gold standard finger-prick test to measure blood sugar responses in healthy volunteers. They tested different fruit-based foods, including whole fruit and smoothies.

🔹 Key Findings:

✔️ CGMs consistently showed higher blood sugar levels than the finger-prick test.
✔️ Smoothies were misclassified as high-GI (glycemic index) foods by CGMs, even though the finger-prick test showed they were low-GI.
✔️ Whole fruits were also misclassified, making it seem like they cause harmful blood sugar spikes.
✔️ CGMs overestimated blood sugar levels by nearly 400%, causing unnecessary concern.

What This Means for You

For people with diabetes, CGMs remain useful tools because even if they are not 100% accurate, they still provide valuable insights. However, healthy individuals using CGMs for diet tracking might get misleading results and unnecessarily avoid healthy foods like fruits and smoothies.

💡 Fact Check: The research also disproves the myth that blending fruits into a smoothie raises their glycemic index. Whether eaten whole or blended, fruits like apples, bananas, mangoes, and oranges remain low-GI and provide steady energy.

Why Are CGMs Inaccurate?

🔸 CGMs measure glucose in the fluid around cells, not directly in the blood.
🔸 Time delays and blood flow differences can cause errors in readings.
🔸 Glucose movement in the body can also affect CGM accuracy.

What Should You Do?

🔹 If you have diabetes, continue using CGMs but be aware of potential overestimations.
🔹 If you are healthy, don’t rely on CGMs for diet tracking—use finger-prick tests for more accurate results.
🔹 Don’t avoid fruits and smoothies based on misleading CGM readings—they are still great for your health!

✅ Doctors: Educate your patients about the limitations of CGMs, especially for healthy individuals.
✅ Diabetic patients: Use CGMs as a guide but verify readings with a finger-prick test when necessary.
✅ Health-conscious individuals: Don’t unnecessarily cut out fruits or smoothies due to inaccurate CGM readings.

🔍 Accurate blood sugar monitoring is key to better health! Stay informed and make smart dietary choices. 🚀

To register for our next masterclass please click here https://linktr.ee/docpreneur