It’s becoming increasingly common (and increasingly annoying) for people without diabetes to become obsessed with their blood sugar levels. Remember when Huck in the magazine likened wearing his CGM to a polygraph test? And back then, CGMs were hailed as weight loss tools? These days, just because you have a Libre sensor on your upper arm , you may not actually encounter diabetes at your local farmers market. It could be a man who registers his blood sugar levels in the perfect range after devouring a steak. With butter. For breakfast.
But just when you think your obsession with glucose has reached its peak, Jesse Inshauspe, who secretly calls herself the “Glucose Goddess,” launches an “anti-glucose spike” capsule with the zeal of a medieval alchemist. He was hawking it. Her evangelical followers act as if she has unearthed the holy grail of endocrinology, when in reality it is nothing more than a flask of nostalgia, a concoction of medicinal herbs. And cinnamon. Because of course it will.
It’s not hard to see that this is more nonsense lacking scientific support than a miracle cure. Looking for peer-reviewed research or clinical trials to make sense of the influencer-driven hype? Sorry, we don’t have any. What you will find is a marketing masterclass for those seeking eternal “health.”
But if you dig deeper, Inshauspe’s medicine is more than just an ineffective supplement. It’s emblematic of the insidious way food culture has infiltrated our perceptions of health and well-being. By proposing that usually Fluctuations in blood sugar levels are something to be feared and corrected, but Inshauspe does more than just sell products. She’s selling problems. She taps into the anxiety that many people feel about their diet and provides a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist for people who don’t have diabetes. And she’s exploiting a fundamental misunderstanding of how the body works, turning the natural process that regulates blood sugar levels into something to be feared and in need of treatment. Oh, look! She has a cure! This is a classic case of creating a problem to sell a solution. The solution actually only lightens the wallet and spreads the myth.
There’s a reason why I get so angry when I see this type of scam. Inshauspe isn’t just misleading the wellness community. The ripple effect is that the misconceptions she’s spreading are harmful to people with diabetes.
This is for people who are not diabetic. Avoid misusing the term “spike” when referring to blood sugar levels. It refers to a completely normal and healthy body response to food. Your body processes these changes seamlessly. Seriously, it’s magic. Instead of throwing meaningless pills around, marvel at their brilliance. I wish my body would just do that on its own.
The word “spike” has a very different and often difficult reality for someone like me. This represents a balancing act of wearing devices that communicate with each other and respond based on algorithms (I still don’t know what that word means), while simultaneously sending my brain into overdrive. . attempt You can’t count your carbs accurately, you wonder if you need to factor in the distance to the cafe in the amount of insulin you need for your latte, you consider your stress level, you ponder whether you’re likely to get your period. (Unexpected, but hello Peri!), check the humidity level, and do a Hokey Pokey. That’s what it’s all about (for us)!
The problematic narrative that the “spike” must be “cured” or “controlled” with a monthly subscription to herbal cocktails trivializes its complexity. need Blood sugar management. And, ignoring the complex and often unpredictable nature of diabetes, it suggests that managing blood sugar levels is as easy as popping a pill.
Despite having state-of-the-art AIDs and brilliant technological minds, diabetics still experience fluctuations in their blood sugar graphs. When scammers like the Glucose Grinch sensationalize these fluctuations, they increase unnecessary alarm and misunderstanding about how diabetes works.
And it gives those who fall for this hype a false sense of their own expertise in blood sugar management. Everyone becomes an authority on glucose. Everyone should keep an eye on their blood sugar levels. And everyone becomes an expert on the subject. With all due respect, that expertise is completely unfounded. Do you know who is an expert on blood sugar management? We actually have to manage our own blood sugar levels every day.You know, people actually life With diabetes!
PS I absolutely love the view Dutch diabetes advocate Elaine took when anti-glucose spikes were launched. She quickly revoked her name, “Goddess of Glucose,” and gave it to those who deserved it: people with diabetes. Find Elaine on Instagram (@typisch_ein), add an image of the Glucose Goddess using the template provided in GG Highlight Reel.
