- Written by Rachel Schuller
- Health and disinformation reporter
Leading doctors have warned that blood sugar monitors are unnecessary for people without diabetes and could, in extreme cases, encourage eating disorders.
They're part of the personalized diet trend promoted on social media and led by companies like ZOE.
However, Professor Partha Kerr, the NHS's national diabetes adviser, said there was no strong evidence that the device would help people without diabetes.
ZOE said the research was in its early stages but “cutting edge”.
In people with diabetes, blood sugar levels, also known as blood sugar levels, may remain high for several hours after a meal. At very high levels, this can cause organ damage if not monitored and suppressed.
ZOE, previously involved in a coronavirus symptom tracking app, is one of the leading companies offering the use of blood sugar monitors to people without symptoms.
The company currently offers programs from around £300 and is promoting it widely, including on social media platforms.
Participants will record their food intake and wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for two weeks to measure postprandial blood sugar levels.
Other tests also test your response to fat and your gut bacteria.
ZOE says all these tests helped identify how even two healthy people can have vastly different reactions to the same food. For example, one person's blood sugar levels may spike or fall more quickly after eating carbohydrates than another person.
This suggests that it may be useful in personal food decisions.
But other researchers argue that what these numbers mean, such as greater increases or decreases in blood sugar levels within the non-diabetic range, is still not properly understood.
Dr Nicola Guess, a nutritionist and diabetes researcher at the University of Oxford, says much of the evidence linking high blood sugar to a huge variety of health problems is based on blood sugar levels only seen in people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Stated.
She explains that high blood sugar is a symptom of diabetes, not the direct cause.
Professor Kerr said there was “no evidence” for understanding what fluctuations in blood sugar levels mean in people without diabetes.
Professor Partha Kerr was involved in the introduction of CGM into the NHS for people with type 1 diabetes.
The company says it is researching gut bacteria and is beginning to uncover connections between gut microbes, diet, and health.
James Kinross, a colorectal surgeon and gut microbiome expert at Imperial College London, said the microbiome is extremely important but direct-to-consumer testing is “problematic”. “This is a very young science, and there are many unanswered questions about how the microbiome changes.” affects our health. ”
Dr Sarah Berry, ZOE's chief scientist, told the BBC that the program drew on “decades” of existing nutrition research and original research into the link between blood sugar levels and health.
However, she admits that she “doesn't have all the evidence.”
Dr. Sarah Berry says ZOE leverages decades of nutritional research
But given that we already understand the risks of a poor diet, it's actually irresponsible to wait decades to understand the long-term consequences such as heart disease and death. “, she says.
Dr Ran Crook, a general practitioner who founded a company providing medical services to start-ups, praised the company's efforts to gather evidence, saying the lack of all evidence on blood sugar levels “stymies innovation”. He said it shouldn't be done.
He and others, including some of ZOE's critics, agree that CGM can be a useful tool for some people to increase motivation and change their eating habits.
But people have been sounding the alarm about diet-related illnesses for decades. But hundreds of diet programs have failed to meet the challenge of getting people to stick to the habit when their environment and biology seem to be stacked against them, such as with the modern prevalence of high-sugar foods. And they are not without risks to themselves.
The company says, “ZOE takes a scientifically rigorous approach, with clinical trials, robust research, and a dedicated team of scientists and nutrition experts to improve health through helpful, evidence-based advice. “We are unrivaled by other companies in the industry in that we aim to achieve
But Dr. Guess is concerned when he sees patients using ZOE's products cut back on foods they believe are healthy because they cause their blood sugar levels to spike.
That in itself can cause health problems and is not recommended by the company.
She added that people who avoid carbohydrates will experience a temporary “exaggerated blood sugar response” the next time they eat carbohydrates. This is “totally normal,” she says, but adds that it may make them think they can't tolerate carbohydrates at all.
Professor Kerr believes that using CGM without a medical reason can lead to an obsessive focus on numbers and, in the most extreme cases, “could lead to eating disorders”.
According to eating disorder charity Beat, “People with eating disorders often become obsessed with numbers as part of their illness, so we would never recommend the use of blood sugar monitors to those affected.”
ZOE is trying to screen people with a history of eating disorders, but Dr Berry told the BBC that the company takes the health of its members “very seriously” and that its customers do not want to see customers with food insecurities. He said he has access to trained nutrition coaches who can support him. If you feel there is a problem, talk to them.
The company published research results based on data collected from participants to find patterns in areas such as food choices, hunger, and blood test results. However, it cannot tell which aspects are actually causing changes in health status and which are due to chance.
ZOE has conducted research to understand the changes brought about by this program, but it has not yet been published.
Critics worry that the study fails to reveal the impact of different elements of the program, such as individualized diet and support and coaching based on test results.
Dr. Berry claims that ZOE's program is “a very comprehensive product that doesn't just include microbiome testing or continuous glucose monitoring.”
But Dr. Guess believes these factors are still unproven, so without them it's just a “scientific-sounding way to get people to eat more fruits and vegetables.”
She thinks much of ZOE's advice is wise, such as eating more whole foods and less processed foods, but the message is not “enough persuasion” to sell a £300 product. I believe that there is no power.
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