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Corrine Moore shines with pride and peace of mind when you open the graph on your phone, showing a stable line that reflects your blood sugar levels throughout the day.
It is a rare event for a 25-year-old, suffering from type 2 diabetes and constantly fights to keep blood sugar levels within a safe range from the age of 2.
The app she uses connects to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) stuck in her arm and requires blood glucose measurements every 5 minutes.
This device not only gives you painless access to check her blood sugar levels, but also warns you to stand up to her level before it becomes dangerous.
Corrine Moore says living with type 1 diabetes is a constant battle. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Brianna Melville))
For Ms Moore, CGM is part of a constant struggle to maintain her body function, so I was surprised to scroll through videos of non-diabetic patients wearing their devices in recent months.
New health trends?
On Instagram reels, a woman wearing CGM explains how morning coffee spiked her blood sugar levels at 2 mmol per liter and avoided it by going for a next walk.
The account tells viewers that reducing blood sugar spikes will help your body avoid fat accumulation, leading you to the “fat burner” academy you paid online.
In other videos, the self-proclaimed “biohakker” nervously installs CGM on his arm for the first time, regaining the information he provides throughout the day.
Continuous glucose monitors are being tested by people without diabetes. (Instagram: CuriousMediahq/ lynlee_and_lydia_/ kyliegulliver))
Ms Moore, who often spikes blood glucose over 10 mmol/L after an incorrect or false insulin dose, says she's frustrated to witness it.
“For me, it's a life-saving medical device. For them, it's about seeing what sugar levels do after eating a banana,” says Moore.
“Their pancreas work and they're going to do what it has to do.”
Moore says that diabetics are weak or fatal if they don't constantly monitor and adjust their glucose levels correctly.
“They make it look very easy, but it's not for us [diabetics]She says.
The app connects to a continuous glucose monitor. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Brianna Melville))
“We don't want to threaten life-threatening diabetes, but that can be very scary.”
ABC reached out to many content creators who encouraged the use of CGM.
Those who responded affirmed the potential health benefits.
However, they argue that diabetics should be given priority access.
“In the Western world, there is a culture that treats symptoms and treats illnesses,” says curious media director Steve Grace.
“I think everyone wants to move to more preventive styles. [of healthcare]. ”
“If your device is available for purchase, if you have clear preventative capabilities, why not make it more widely available?” says content creator Kylie Gulliver.
Preventive hygiene cases
Some of the online content showing non-diabetic CGM users is linked to Vivere, which launched in 2021 as “the first company to bring blood glucose monitoring to people without diabetes.”
Medical Director and co-founder Michelle Woolhouse says the device helps people lose weight by showing how different foods and behaviors affect the body in real time.
“It's really about giving people educational tools along with lifestyle advice. They really empower them and help them understand what's useful for them,” says Dr. Woolhouse.
“That's one thing to research [which foods are healthy] …But when knowledge is personalized, it becomes lively in the person's life, so they are more likely to do something about it. ”
She says the device can also help you spot pre-diagnosis health problems, and can also intervene before they get worse.
Michelle Woolhouse says CGM can help people discover health issues. (Supply: Michelle Wool House))
“Many people realize they have more metabolic dysfunction than they previously thought,” she says.
Dr. Woolhouse said that women around menopause are a large demographic of non-diabetic CGM users, and use them to alleviate the weight gain that occurs during metabolic changes.
Can you run out of CGM?
In the wake of the recent shortage of Ozempic, a type 2 drug, many diabetics, such as Moore, have been left nervous about the demand for supply and claims of weight loss that create shortages.
However, Therapeautic Goods Administration says it is not aware of the disruption in CGM supply.
Dr. Woolhouse says her company definitely has a shortage prospect, but in Australia “it's not the case.”
“TGA has just registered two new players, and there are a lot of new CGMs on the market,” she says.
“There's absolutely no shortage of CGMS.”
Diabetes spokesman Jessica Weiss says there is a lot of stock, but says it's “hard to say” whether future supply could be affected by intakes from non-diabetics.
Unintegrated, CGMs usually range from around $200 to $300 per month.
The limited quota for the device is partially subsidized annually for type 1 diabetes patients, and remains at the full price for type 2 diabetes patients who continue to campaign for affordable access.
Is more information good?
Without proper education, non-diabetic patients using CGM could misunderstand what they would expect from their bodies, set unrealistic targets around glucose levels, develop increased anxiety and cut off certain types of food.
“We have a lot of information that we didn't have before,” she says.
Jessica Weiss says mild blood sugar spikes and dips are normal in people without diabetes. (ABC Perth: Kina Norton))
“For people without diabetes, our bodies do an excellent job of regulating our glucose levels. These highs and low levels are very normal and very safe.
“There are other health and fitness tracking devices that may be more appropriate than these therapeutic medical devices.”
She advises to “take a little care” when purchasing health-related products outside of traditional channels.
On the Vivere website, Dr. Woolhouse said the study was “still early” in CGM and there is no solid evidence yet that the wearer would have a negative effect on non-diabetic patients.
However, she insists that her company provides comprehensive professional coaching to ensure that clients can correctly interpret their measurements.
“We're educating a lot with apps to help people really understand [the data]”She says.
“I think it will help people actually understand the causes of eating disorders in order to stabilize blood sugar levels.”
Editor's note: Reporter Brianna Melville has type 1 diabetes and uses a glucose monitor.
