I can’t read the full article without subscribing to WSJ, but why on earth would a non D use a CGM!?
Freestyle is marketing to athletes, selling the libre without a prescription for like $160/month. I think that’s not yet available in the US. I’m guessing this is due to lack of FDA approval of their app.
It mentioned people using it for athletics or monitoring their bg for optimal diet or as preventative maintenance to find a health problem early.
I keep getting targeted ads online for these discretionary CGMs.
I just hit the X to close that subscription message, and had access to read or play sound.
Time to buy more stock in Abbott and Dexcom!!
I didn’t realize non D’s BGs needed to monitored for performance during exercise! I figured if they were healthy, then their pancreas would optimally manage it!
Thanks, @MM2, I didn’t see a message, just a Subscribe button. I’d have to tap the Subscribe button to see the full article on my iPad!
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In the weeks ahead of the ride, during the Basecamp test, and for the Everesting itself, I wore a Supersapiens continuous glucose monitor. This paired to an app on my phone to give insight into my glucose levels, response rates to different foods, and help validate my fuelling strategies.
Begins to make sense for a long (5+ hr) race effort, when you need to supplement thousands of calories. Some long course triathletes are also using them too, but haven’t heard any testimonials yet. I’m still a little suspect they’re accurate enough that you can get enough advance warning on a bonk, since my Dexcom can be off by up to 20 mg/dl which is about the amount of variation a healthy person would see.
I’d love to see an actual study showing that managing BG numbers somehow helps optimize sports performance. Pretty skeptical that one exists though
Well here is a small study where they tried, and all they found out is that a significant number of the athletes were pre-diabetic. Kind of funny actually. They did find in the one athlete who had low blood sugar that they weren’t eating as directed. So it probably can help to some extent.
I have researched a lot of stuff on that. There is a huge benefit to being able to have the right amount of glucose available for glycolosis for fueling. How insufficient insulin can prevent that. How glucagon inhibits glycolosis. How glucagon inhibits pyruvate kinase which in turn reduces the production of ATP. How high BG reduces the ability to efficiently metabolize lipids and conserve muscle glycogen, because in order for there to be complete oxidation of Acetyl CoA in the citric acid cycle you need oxaloacetate, which is a bi-product of carb metabolism. Without enough oxaloacetate, the rate of acetyl CoA metabolism slows, which slows the rate ATP is formed.
ATP are the dollars in sports. You want to maximize its availability in absolutely every sport.
I can try to put all of this together in a post someday, but it will just make people’s eyes bleed. It’s such a ridiculous web of interacting factors.
But these people are on the wrong track trying to get anything meaningful from a CGM. I have not worn a CGM in my last 8 marathons. It’s really pointless. By the time you see a low or high on a CGM, 3 miles has passed.
By the time you see a low or high on a CGM, 3 miles has passed.
Well, more like 1.5 miles for me But I get your point.
Ahh, it is all starting to make sense, especially your interest in ambulatory measurement of blood sugar using a sensor in the blood stream…athletic performance edge.
@Chris, I do actually feel like I have an advantage when it comes to 2 things.
I can get an idea of lactate threshold from BG spikes. Like I know exactly where my FTP is during a season because I can see at what pace I start to spike. That’s not something non-D’s can see. So it’s a little bit of extra training info I have. It’s great to see how over a training cycle the spiking point starts to come at a faster pace.
The other thing is that if a non-D’s BG drops, their body releases glucagon, which hampers performance. Instead, I can counter a drop with quick carbs which is useful fuel. I do not have glucagon to screw up my ATP production. (Of course if I don’t fuel, I’m totally screwed instead of hampered.)
@Eric , I watched the Barbara Mandrell TV show many years ago. She and her two sisters were very entertaining, if you like country music. lol
I also saw George Jones perform at a local county fair, also many years ago.
Do you have advice for weight loss for diabetics? I tend to see what the least amount of insulin I can deliver through the pump and still have the right numbers is (right now that varies between 41 and 55 units per day). My general approach to exercise is weights+(30 minutes of cardio) 4 days a week.
Diet-wise I am mostly veggies and proteins but use a mix of juice and complex carbs as the BG calls for it. I think my body’s response to all this is to build muscle but that some fat reduction would be good.