Do I need Continuous Glucose Monitoring?

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I hate even the idea of pricking my finger to test my blood. Now, imagine how I would feel if I had to prick my finger every hour just to see how different foods affect my blood glucose concentration?

🤮

This is exactly why continuous glucose monitors have been a game-changer.

Welcome to the 31 new Health & Tech nerds who joined the newsletter this week! 🤓🎉

Summary

🩺 Glucose Monitors: A Game-Changer for Diabetes Management

😟 Limited Benefits for Non-Diabetics

💡 Startups Making Glucose Monitors More Accessible

💼 Jobs: Health & Tech Opportunities

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🩺 From Finger Pricks to Continuous Monitoring

In the early days, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) were widely used by people with diabetes, who relied on regular finger-prick tests. Today, even people without diabetes are beginning to wear CGMs to identify and avoid foods that cause unusually high glucose spikes.

But should everyone be monitoring their glucose continuously? Before we find that out, let’s first explore how these devices work.

💡 The Technology

Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are small devices that attach to your body (typically the arm) and continuously measure blood glucose levels through a tiny sensor that reaches the interstitial fluid under the skin.

Unlike traditional finger-prick methods, CGMs provide real-time data that can be viewed on smartphones or readers. This lets users track not just their current glucose levels but also trends and patterns over time. These metrics are critical for people with diabetes, who often experience more volatile glucose fluctuations.

The sensor itself is a small needle (about 6mm long) that pierces the skin and remains in place for 7-14 days before needing replacement.

🤓 Benefits of Continuous Monitoring?

• Real-time insights: See how insulin, food, exercise, and illness affect your glucose levels.

• Early warnings: Detect and avoid dangerous hypoglycemic (very low blood glucose) or hyperglycemic (very high blood glucose) trends before they become critical.

• Better data: More detailed data can be collected than sporadic finger-prick tests.

• Shared data: Data can be sent to healthcare professionals for personalised treatment adjustments.

Several studies show that people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes experience fewer episodes of hypoglycemia on CGMs than with traditional tests. Better glycemic control helps avoid and delay long-term diabetes-related complications such as kidney disease, blindness, and cardiovascular issues.

Intensive insulin users, in particular, may benefit more from continuous glucose monitoring. For people with Type 1 diabetes who require constant insulin injection, CGMs provide data to help adjust dosing and prevent dangerous blood sugar fluctuations.

😟 Limitations

Despite their benefits, CGMs come with several limitations.

• Current market options are expensive: Devices cost around $80 for just two weeks of monitoring, so only a fraction of people can access these devices. 

  This cost barrier represents a significant challenge for widespread adoption, particularly among underserved populations.

• Research gaps: Many CGM studies are short term, unblinded and industry sponsored. Therefore, more independent, long-term research trails are needed to confirm the sustained benefits of CGM technology.

Do you need one if you don’t have diabetes? Not really. In people without diabetes, insulin naturally adjusts any rises or falls in blood-glucose levels after meals or exercise. In those with diabetes, however, this feedback loop is impaired, which is why they must regularly test their glucose and administer insulin, or consume carbohydrates, to quickly restore optimal blood-glucose concentrations and prevent complications.

For people without diabetes or related health concerns, using a CGM may lead to more stress. The constant tracking of glucose levels can develop an unhealthy obsession with dietary choices. However, there is very little evidence to confirm the benefits of CGMs in people without diabetes.

💡 Startups Transforming the Glucose Monitoring

Sava (UK)

UK-based startup Sava recently secured $8 million in seed funding to build next-gen CGMs using arrays of 1mm microneedles rather than one larger needle.

They aim to reduce costs by up to tenfold once scaled, making CGMs far more affordable.

Persperion (UCSD spin-off)

University of California San Diego spinoff Persperion raised $4 million in venture capital seed funding to commercialise a noninvasive glucose testing platform. Their innovative approach uses the sweat present on fingertips to measure glucose levels, potentially eliminating the need for painful finger pricks.

The technology works through a proprietary enzyme interaction that can detect biomarkers in the user's blood by analyzing trace amounts of sweat on the fingertips – the same sweat that leaves fingerprint smudges behind. The glucose concentrations will be provided in 10 seconds after users place their finger on the strip.

DiabetesWise

DiabetesWise provides a free, unbranded, data-driven online resource for exploring diabetes devices with regulatory approval. The Stanford, California-based company launched DiabetesWise Pro to help providers make informed decisions on diabetes devices at the point of care.

The Future: AI and Predictive Analytics

The CGM market continues to show strong growth potential, with estimates suggesting the market in China alone will surpass $405.5 million by 2027. This growth is driven by both increasing diabetes prevalence and technological innovations that make devices more user-friendly.

Integration with AI and Predictive Analytics

The future of CGM technology lies in deeper integration with AI and predictive analytics. These advancements could eventually enable predictive capabilities that warn users of potential glucose fluctuations before they occur, allowing for preventive rather than reactive management.

As these technologies improve and costs decrease, continuous glucose monitors are likely to become standard tools not just for diabetes management but for broader metabolic health monitoring, where we’ll be able to monitor multiple biomarkers using a device.

This evolution could fundamentally change how we understand and manage not only diabetes but overall metabolic wellness, making personalised health insights accessible to people.

💼 Jobs Board - Health & Tech

Since there’re over 1000 readers interested in Health & Tech here, I thought it’d be better to post job openings in this field that you might find interesting.

Lmk if you like/dislike this section.

Heidi Health

1. Support Engineer (Melbourne/Hybrid) - 2+ years of experience.

2. Software Engineer (Melbourne/Hybrid) - 1-3 years of experience

Harrison.ai

1. Engineering Manager (Sydney/Hybrid) - 3+ years as a software engineering manager

Eucalyptus

1. Operations Associate (Sydney/On-site) - 2-3 years in operations, consulting, law, banking, or a similar field.

2. Growth Lead (Sydney/On-site) - 7+ years of experience as a growth marketer working with B2C brands.