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[Mechanism]

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[Dean Pomerleau]

Mechanism,

 

I agree that Peter Attia interview was interesting, although I disagree with his willingness to eschew carbs (even good ones) to always keep glucose and insulin low.

 

Regarding continuous glucose monitoring - it would be great if there was an affordable device to do it. Unfortunately it doesn't look like the Dexcom fits the bill. It gets good reviews, but a little digging shows the 3 components you need cost upwards of $2500, and it appears the system is only iPhone (not Android) compatible.

 

It would be fine if you were diabetic and had insurance to cover it, or were really rich, but otherwise it seems like it's out of most healthy people's price range.

 

--Dean

[Mechanism]

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[Dean Pomerleau]

That's an incredible price Dean ( primary unit even with the discount at the site you provided $789.75!). 

 

As you say - "primary unit". You also need to other components, costing a total of over $2500, even with that website's apparent discount.

 

Yes - every technology costs more for early adopters and pioneers. But that's far too much to pay, even for me. The reviewers also say you need to do finger prick glucose tests at least twice a day to calibrate the continuous glucose monitoring system...

 

--Dean

[TomBAvoider]

Tangentially related, I was struck by the studies Al Pater posted to the list a couple of days ago. Basically, they found that eating vegetables and/or protein BEFORE consuming more carbohydrates significantly improved glucose excursions and lowered insulin - very important findings IMHO for anyone who is interested in glucose control. Some of the PMIDs listed:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3674531/pdf/dme0030-0370.pdf

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3882489/

 

pop press account:

 

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/06/26/eating-vegetables-and-proteins-before-carbs-may-impact-blood-sugar.html

 

I for one intend to incorporate these findings into the way I eat - although I've already been doing this for pretty much most of my eating anyway, but now I'll be much more conscious and vigilant.

[Mechanism]

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[Dean Pomerleau]

I presume everyone realizes that the "carbohydrates" they used in this study of food ordering was white rice. If you're reading this, you probably aren't consuming too many foods like this (e.g. refined pasta, white bread, sugary soda etc), but instead already consume mostly high-fiber, low-GI, low-GL foods like the salad they used as "vegetables" in this study.

 

--Dean

[Mechanism]

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[TomBAvoider]

Pin-prick-free glucose monitoring has been a quest for some time. Here's another one:

 

Adhesive 'patch' monitors blood glucose without needles

 

"Researchers from Cardiff University's School of Engineering have developed a glucose monitor that doesn't require you to prick your finger. It doesn't even need blood after the initial calibration, because it uses microwave to keep track of your glucose levels. The device then sends the data it gathers to an accompanying app. Professor Adrian Porch, one of its creators, told the BBC that its microwave levels are very low and nowhere near what's used for cooking. "Think about a mobile phone," he said, "we're about a thousand times less than that level."

 

I have personally been interested in a glucose monitor, but what always stopped me was not the lancing aspect (though I'm not a masochist), what always stopped me dead in my tracks was the worthless accuracy levels in those portable devices. The bar is 20% either way (under or over), and that is just completely pointless. Worse, there is not a single home monitor device out there that comes close to the accuracy or reliability of a conventional blood test. Given the additional problems of drawing blood (making sure your blood sample is good, versus containing a lot of interstitial diluting fluid) and strip variability and accuracy, I simply passed on the whole thing. My doctor even offered to write me a prescription for a monitor (since I expressed great curiosity about how BG rises and falls during the day), but I passed on that too. 

 

And so it is with these various gadgets that purport to monitor you BG - even if one of these things comes to market, if it is no more accurate than the dreck that's currently available, then I'll pass on that too.

[Sthira]

Yep, I agree with you, Tom, and so I've given up on consumer models. For one thing I have trouble even getting blood to come out of my pricked finger. Then when I finally stab myself enough, I would take one reading and it would show one number. Then immediately after the first, I'd take another reading and the second number would be wildly different. These number differences just led me to lost confidence that any number from a consumer device would be accurate. How do diabetics cope?

 

I'd like a ketone meter but strips cost $50 for ten! And since I suspect a glucometer is offering up false readings, I'd also be wary that of a ketone meter's results...and at higher cost!