- Researchers say that 20% of people deemed medically “healthy” may have glucose similar to people with prediabetes.
- They say they have developed an analysis using data from glucose monitors to identify people who might have a particular precursor to prediabetes.
- They say the tool could be used to advise people with this precursor to adapt exercise routines and healthy eating habits to avoid developing prediabetes.
One in five adults considered medically “healthy” may actually have glucose metabolism similar to that of people with prediabetes.
In a recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health, researchers from Klick Labs say they have developed a new analysis method that uses data from continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to flag a precursor to prediabetes known as impaired glucose homeostasis (IGH).
“For people with diabetes, blood glucose levels can rise and fall like a wild roller-coaster ride with steep drops and peaks,” Jaycee Kaufman, the study’s lead author and research scientist at Klick Labs, said in a press statement.
“We found a similar pattern in patients with IGH, albeit those patterns were more like gentle waves than dramatic peaks, but intervention on this population could limit the likelihood of progression to full diabetes,” she added.
Impaired glucose homeostasis can indicate the body is failing to control blood glucose levels properly.
The researchers said they were able to identify people with IGH using a new mathematical model. They enlisted 384 people and fitted them with a CGM.
The participants wore the CGM for two weeks and were assessed by a doctor. The participants were either diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes or were considered “healthy” according to guidelines from the American Diabetes Association.
The researchers then applied their mathematical model to the data gathered from the CGM.
The study participants were then reclassified into two groups: those with impaired glucose homeostasis and those…
Read the full article here