If you google the word Diabetes, your search will return hundreds, if not thousands, of links on the topic. It’s a complex disease. From knowing the difference between Type I and Type II to understanding the numbers and terminology to learning how it can affect almost every aspect of your life, it can be rather exhausting to keep up with. We could write pages and pages of facts, figures, statistics and tips, but we’ll start with the basics and focus on one thing at a time. Let’s start with food!
Everyone loves eating – right? Well, for patients living with Diabetes something so basic and necessary as food can become a huge detriment and one of our biggest challenges. Food is one of THE most powerful tools in learning how to live with Diabetes. Understanding how eating certain foods affect glucose levels and how quickly the two can interact is the key to proper management. And, the key to unlocking the mystery of food even further is a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). By combining food tracking with the use of a Continuous Glucose Monitor, like the FreeStyle Libre, patients gain a valuable resource in learning how to control Diabetes.
WHAT DOES FOOD DO TO GLUCOSE LEVELS?
The first lesson to remember is that carbohydrates are impactful for Diabetes patients. “When you eat any type of carbohydrate – pasta, fruit, bread or sugar – your body breaks it down into glucose. Glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream and insulin helps remove it from your blood cells to be used for energy. Without Diabetes, the body usually makes just the right amount of insulin to match the food and activity, and glucose levels naturally rise and fall in response. When Diabetes develops, the process is disrupted, either because the body stops producing insulin altogether (Type 1 Diabetes) or because the insulin it produces becomes less effective (Type 2 Diabetes).1 The main goal in treating Diabetes is to keep glucose levels within a target range. This is to prevent short-term and long-term health problems that can occur when glucose falls too low (hypoglycemia) or too high (hyperglycemia).2 Monitoring and maintaining levels is key. It’s not easy and requires constant attention but using a Continuous Glucose Monitor makes a difference and takes the guesswork out of the equation.
MONITORING DIET WITH A CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITOR
A Continuous Glucose Monitoring device takes glucose readings on set intervals with a small electrode placed under the skin which is held in place by an adhesive. Monitors, like the FreeStyle Libre, are worn on the back of the arm while other brands are worn on the abdomen. A transmitter attached to the electrode sends data to a separate unit or smart device. Patients simply swipe a handheld reader over the sensor for a one-second scan to receive data. Each scan provides a current glucose reading, a trend arrow and an 8-hour history. Patients can easily track daily patterns, ranges and targets and can even receive alerts when they are trending high or low.
The trend arrow is the true gem of the Continuous Glucose Monitor because it tells users what direction glucose is heading and the speed in which it is moving so patients can plan what to do next. Knowing what to eat and when to eat is one of the biggest mysteries when it comes to Diabetes Management. The fear of what is going to happen if we indulge on that second helping of dinner or splurge on a piece of birthday cake at a party is always upon us and never goes away. But, a Continuous Glucose Monitor gives users the freedom to know exactly how food will affect glucose levels. That knowledge is power and can help plan the rest of the meals throughout the day so glucose levels can be kept in check at all times, even while sleeping. The FreeStyle Libre captures 14 days of data and stores the information for up to 90 days so it can help to serve as a food diary and help plan meals. This data can also be shared with healthcare professionals and caregivers to identify patterns and ensure that patients are maintaining a balanced diet, setting goals, tracking progress, and maintaining target ranges. Continuous Glucose Monitors provide real-time, accurate information and help to identify when changes to the overall diet plan are needed.
Continuous Glucose Monitors have also been linked to lowering HbA1C levels in patients who use the device. “Abbot announced new late-breaking data demonstrating use of its FreeStyle Libre system, the world’s leading Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology, is associated with significant reduction in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels for people living with type 2 diabetes on either long-acting insulin or non-insulin therapy. These results are similar to outcomes typically seen when adding insulin therapy to treatment regimens, indicating people may be able to manage their glucose levels with CGM technology instead of adding insulin. The real-world data were presented as a late-breaking abstract at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 80th Scientific Sessions. The results demonstrated overall lower HbA1c levels associated with the use of Abbott’s technology, specifically a 0.8% drop after six months (from 8.5% to 7.7%) and 0.6% drop after one year of FreeStyle Libre system use (from 8.5% to 7.9%) – clinically significant reductions of average glucose levels over time toward the ADA’s recommended A1c goal of 7% for adults with diabetes.”
THE FREESTYLE LIBRE CHOICE AND SUPPORT
At Quest Health Solutions, the FreeStyle Libre is our first choice in Continuous Glucose Monitors. Not only because of its far-reaching impact on managing Diabetes, but because of the many benefits it provides to patients and healthcare providers. The FreeStyle Libre works around the clock to keep patients safe and in control and helps to take the mystery out of one of the biggest challenges facing Diabetes patients – food. To learn more about how a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System can be used to help manage diet, contact us 1-877-888-7050 Ext. 1011 or email ben@questhealthsolutions.com . We are Quest Health Solutions and for over 5 years, we have been committed to serving patients and healthcare providers, and we strive to be a one-stop shop for your CGM needs – contact us today!
1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 2014, Carbohydrate counting and diabetes, accessed 21 October 2020, Click Here.
2. American Diabetes Association 2015, Factors affecting blood glucose, accessed 21 October 2020, Click Here.
3. Abbot Press Release accessed 22 October 2020, Click Here