Managing glucose may seem a daunting task especially when one is initiated on a new regime whether it is insulin or new medicines or a new diet and lifestyle modifications. If you are new to any of these; you may be recommended by your doctor to use a device that gives you real time glucose values but without pricking your fingers each time. This device is known as a Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device and can prove to a game changer if you are on a diabetic diet
Our diabetes educator Dr Rachana Jasani, explains the role of this device in managing your blood sugars as well as reducing complications related to high blood sugar.
What is a Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device?
This device helps in monitoring your glucose levels throughout the day i.e. 24 X 4. It can be used upto 14 days. You do not need to remove it while bathing neither while exercising. It comes in a small portable pack and you can pair it with your mobile phone to access the glucose readings
This device is extremely beneficial for ones with type 1 diabetes as they can integrate the insulin delivering pump with this device. This helps the pump adjust the insulin doses as per the real time glucose data. This in turn helps in keeping the blood sugar in tight control and also helps in lowering the 3 month average blood sugar i.e. Hba1c
How can you use it?
The device contains a small (coin sized) sensor and an applicator. The applicator is used to fix the sensor on your body. While the sensor remains in your body and it has a filament that measures your sugar levels, so it does not come in contact with your blood
How is this device different from a glucometer?
When you use a glucometer, you directly measure the glucose present in the blood in your capillaries but when you use a CGM device, you measure the glucose in your interstitial fluid (fluid present around the cells below your skin). While there are chances of variations in the capillary glucose and this interstitial glucose, but the advantage is that it helps to get a trend of your glucose values. Trend is shown as an arrow on your mobile app, if your glucose is on a quickly rising trend it shows an UP arrow likewise if the sugar is on a quickly decreasing trend then it showns a DOWN arrow. A straight arrow shows slight changes.
While a glucometer involves a manual process (of pricking each time as well as placing drop of blood on the strip); the CGM device is automated and does not need to be repeated each time. Once you attach the device to your body, it can automatically take the glucose readings every 5-15 mins for next 14 days
How is the CGM beneficial if you are on a diabetic diet?
The glucose levels can vary with time, different food combinations, different enviorenmental changes, physical or mental stress, etc. Hence, a CGM can help you get a deeper insight of what triggers a sharp rise or fall in your glucose levels. It helps predict hypoglycemia much in advance and gives you time to act fast. As every body may not react in the same way, hence it is important to know which foods can bring a rise or fall in your glucose levels and depending on that your diet can be altered. A diabetic diet can work best when coupled with CGM based readings
By trapping your highs and lows, you can aim at keeping your blood sugars in an acceptable range. The CGM device shows highs and lows in different colours in your glucose graph and this helps your diabetic diet educator or dietitian to easily pick these and suggest relevant changes
Which devices can you opt for if you are on a diabetic diet?
Always opt for a device that is compatible with your mobile phone and gives you real time data. Read the instructions thoroughly on the instructions manual to minimise the chances of errors or missed data
Any other recommendations to keep in mind while using the CGM device?
If you are on a diabetic diet, you will be asked to maintain a diet and exercise dairy to track the following:
- Your daily food intake: write about the food with its amount and the consequent glucose values
- Your exercise routine: type and duration of exercise and subsequent glucose values
- Sleep: hours of sleep and midnight and early morning glucose glucose values
- Medicine/ insulin: time and dose of medicine/ insulin and consequent glucose values
In a nutshell, this device is beneficial if you have either type 1 or type 2 or gestational or even LADA (i.e Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults). It helps your diabetes care team including your diabetes doctor to titrate your insulin doses or alter your medications and it also helps your diabetic diet educator to personalize your diet and recipes as per your values
At NutriKonnect, our expertise is to provide such scientific evidence based guidance and personalized nutrition counselling for diabetes. We also offer healthy recipes for diabetes. Our recipes are high in proteins, fibre rich and comprise of low GI foods. We also provide a deeper tips on how to lower the glycemic load of these recipes with just a few simple tweaks. To know more, click here
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