Growingโฃ concerns Over Continuous Glucose Monitors as Use Spreads Beyond Diabetics
New York, NY – A surge inโ popularity of continuous glucoseโ monitors (CGMs) – devices traditionally used by diabetics to trackโค blood sugar – is raising concerns among healthcare professionals about โpotential harm to individuals without medical need,โ including โขdisorderedโค eating and anโข unhealthy โobsessionโค with numerical data. While marketed for โoptimizing wellness, experts warn the devices can foster a damaging relationship with foodโ and โขbody image.
CGMs, typically worn on the arm, provide real-time glucose readings, alerting users to fluctuations after meals or exercise. โขOriginally intended for managing โคdiabetes, the devices have gained traction among biohackersโ and those seeking to โฃpersonalize their diets, fueled by โฃsocial media trends like those promoted by the “Glucose Goddess.” However, registered โdietitian Jennaโ Shineโ reports seeing clients become “fixated” on lowering glucose levels, with one requiring hospitalizationโ after fainting.Shine also notes a client experienced tooth enamel erosion โขfrom pre-meal apple ciderโข vinegar consumption – a “hack” advocated for blood โsugar control.
The โฃincreasing accessibility and marketing of CGMs to a broader โฃaudience are driving the debate. Dr. Judith โฃLanger, a clinical psychologist โspecializing inโค eatingโค disorders, argues that reducing foodโข and bodilyโค experienceโ to โnumbers “creates this โคtotal disconnect โขbetween how we feel and what we want,” perhaps being “profoundly โdamaging” to one’s relationship with food and their body.
Recent personal accounts echo โthese concerns.One โฃwriter, experimenting withโ a โCGMโ for two weeks, describedโข aโข desireโฃ to “ripโฃ it off” and โฃavoid the “scorecard” following meals, questioning the $24 monthly cost for data that doesn’t differentiate between nutritious and less healthy foods. The trend highlights a growing need for caution and informed decision-making regarding the use of โคthese devices outside of a clinical context.
