NEW DELHI: A lot of curiosity was generated online when a social media influencer recently showed a hack to control a rise in blood glucose levels after eating a cone of ice cream. To demonstrate, he ate two cones at different intervals – one with a bowl of salad and another without it – and measured his sugar spikes. The experiment with a bowl of salad did not let his blood sugar level go beyond 99 mg/dl. Apart from the hack, what caught the eyes of the viewers was the device he used to measure the sugar levels. It was not traditional pricky glucometer. Instead, a patch on his arm which upon scanning, showed instant results.
The internet is now full of subscription plans for diabetes reversal and one thing is common among them – continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, which were used by the influencer as well. While marketers don’t exactly say that CGM helps reversal of diabetes, it generates a sense among the public that it indeed helps in some way, which is a great marketing gimmick to sell a product which has a connection to blood sugar in a country which is considered the diabetes capital in the world.
Dr Rajesh Khadgawat, professor, department of endocrinology, AIIMS Delhi, said CGM devices do not aid in any manner in reversing diabetes and the claims are misleading. “It is only a technology which uses the same mechanism used by the traditional glucometers. The enzymes which react with the blood to show sugar level are also similar in both the devices. CGM is only used to monitor the sugar levels in individuals,” he explained.
But the misleading claims do not take away the utility of the product. “CGM offers continuous monitoring and alerts for trends or potential issues, providing a more comprehensive view of glucose levels. This continuous data stream enables a more comprehensive and real-time understanding of how blood sugar levels fluctuate, capturing trends and potential issues that might be missed with sporadic measurements,” said Dr Anurag Saxena, HOD-Internal medicine, Primus Super Speciality Hospital.
However, is it as accurate as traditional glucometers or laboratory-done tests? Dr Khadgawat said that CGM can’t be used for diagnosis of diabetes. “Lab tests are best to diagnose the condition. Once we know the outcome, CGM can be used in management of diabetes,” he added.
Dr Rakesh Kumar Prasad, endocrinologist, Fortis Hospital Noida, said the difference between CGM and glucometre is that the former takes a reading from tissue blood at intervals of 5-10 minutes, while the latter uses a fingerstick test to take the readings.
“The gold standard for accuracy is a measurement of blood glucose directly from blood (lab-oriented test). Both fingerstick and CGMs have error margins to that standard. Fingersticks tend to be in the range of 5-10%,” he added.
Experts also said that CGM is not recommended for all diabetics and is beneficial for only a set of patients. “Those who need urgent medical clearance for surgery, type-1 diabetics, type -2 diabetics who are not on insulin and pregnant women are the target group for this technology,” Khadgawat said. While experts weigh in that the CGM is relatively safe, there could be some minor side effects as they have to be worn for 7-14 days. “They may have some side effects such as skin irritation at the sensor site,” said Dr Saxena.
“I haven’t seen any cases of hematoma (blood clot at the sensor site) since it is inserted in the tissue,” Khadgawat added.
However, the cost is high as people will have to shell around `3,000 - `5,000 for just two weeks. “I won’t advise it to people who are on medication and have controlled their diabetes. They only need to check their blood sugar once a day which can be done easily with glucometers. Also, the software used by patients updates them about blood glucose spike every 10 minutes. It gives them unnecessary stress,” Khadgawat added.