How to Use & Interpret a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) | Dr. Casey Means & Dr. Andrew Huberman
How to Use & Interpret a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) | Dr. Casey Means & Dr. Andrew Huberman
Dr. Casey Means discusses the role of continuous glucose monitors in increasing understanding and managing blood glucose levels to improve health, prevent metabolic diseases, and optimize dietary and lifestyle choices.
Dr. Casey Means is a physician trained at Stanford University School of Medicine, an expert on metabolic health and the author of the book, Good Energy. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/8qaBpM73NSk
Show notes: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-casey-means-transform-your-health-by-improving-metabolism-hormone-blood-sugar-regulation
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Glucose Monitors
00:40 Importance of Blood Sugar Management
01:19 Understanding Glucose Trends
01:47 Early Indicators of Metabolic Disease
03:47 Glycemic Variability & Health
05:30 The Dawn Effect Explained
07:09 Personalized Nutrition Insights
09:33 Lifestyle Strategies for Glucose Control
10:23 Conclusion & Further Resources
#HubermanLab #Health #CGM
Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
A very helpful video! Thank you so much!
I figured out most this info without a CGM. How? curiosity and testing with a regular finger poke glucose meter many times a day. I’d test to see how long spikes would last (testing every 30 mins). I’d test fasting. I’d test after exercise. Most important test was how much I was spiking 1-1.5 hours after each meal. I wanted to keep my spikes low so I’d try different foods. Once I learned how my food, body and exercise interacted, I was able to make healthy choices. I was A type 2 on insulin. Now my diabetes is gone (no more meds)! My A1c is 4.7, I’ve lost 35 lbs to a healthy weight of 167lbs. Now I rarely test my glucose, because I know I am eating right, and exercising right. So if you can’t get a CGM, just get a bunch of test strips and spend a few months figuring it out!
Where is her double blind scientific study for the numbers?
note to self–i’m at: 3:28
CGM have been a big help, it actually allow me to visually see what meal effect my food sugar as someone prediebetic. I dont have to stick my hand with needles and it easier
Oatmeal fruit and seeds my blood sugar is always low.
Where is the most reasonable place to get an insulin test?
Thank you for this… open your eyes! moments
The BEST video on CGM’s and Dawn Phenomenon!
Big question, how can I stop from my blood sugar rising from 100 @ 6 a.m. to 124 – 134 at 8:30 a.m. when I get up?
Help!!
Just wrapping up two weeks with a CGM for the first time….Many of the points Dr. Casey Means touched on showed up for me as well. Thanks for sharing this! 👍🏼
Thank you Dr. Huberman and Dr. Means. Dr. Huberman you are the best.
💖💖💖
You only need to do this if you are a type 1 or a type 2 diabetic. There are so many other things you could measure that would have more of a direct impact on your health than a non-diabetic’s glucose levels. I mean, seriously? 🤯🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Just don’t use one that connects to an insulin pump-save those for who need them and help prevent shortages for tjose who require them.
Psalm 46: 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Most that have them are Karens that don’t even have diabetes.
Throw in garbage
This clip is from the Huberman Lab episode "Dr. Casey Means: Transform Your Health by Improving Metabolism, Hormone & Blood Sugar Regulation". The full episode can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/8qaBpM73NSk
I just run my results through ChatGPT once a month.
It gives very accurate advice.
Im not sure what she meant when she said basically, coffee equals cortisol in the morning ????
I had an affogato last week # went to 150 after a post dinner walk it went back to 95. Next morning it was 120 & it stayed that way for nearly 4 days.
up by X points …. what is points? above baseline? not sure what that means? does it mean, if your blood glucose level should be 100 and it goes up 20 points, does that mean it’s now 120? So confused what that means.
Great succinct explanation, thank you
Man, I have a dawn effect of 50 to 60 points.
So how often should you test to figure out
Bought the book! Even after listening to the longer version – I know I need this. I am over 60– and I still don’t have a healthy diet….and can’t lose weight (and keep it off). Thanks again.
Let’s all face it . . .the cause of obesity and diabetes is in the food, highly processed and full of sugar, genetically modified and genetic engineering of the food, supermarkets FULL of food , a fast food industry and high carbs diet, the beer drinking culture etc etc.
Go back to pre 1970’s and look at the stats . . low obesity rates and low diabetes rates.
So what happened in the 70’s and up until the present day?
It becomes very clear and obvious.
There’s only one answer to staying healthy . . CONTROL the diet!
I am not a native speaker, so I apologize if the question is trivial.
Did I understand her right, Glukoase spikes during the day are okay as long as the overall average is low?
What about getting sick (intestinal). My glucose went over 140 and stayed on the higher side of normal all during my issue.
Powerful! This information is what I needed to hear! I’m going to do this today!
I had to chuckle when she mentioned individual variability to food types as if that were a recent discovery. In the mid 1980s when the glycemic index was being touted as the be all/end all solution to minimizing glucose spikes in diabetic patients it quickly became apparent that the so called glycemic index of various foods was in many cases almost meaningless. Person A might have a huge glucose excursion after eating a slice of a certain type of food whereas person B would not. This was a huge disappointment to those of us hoping to use the glycemic index as a means of improving our diabetes control. And yet here we have a medical professional talking as if this problem had only recently been identified. Thus point to one of the biggest problems in medicine: the incredible amount of time it takes for "facts" to filter down through the medical profession. As far as the use of CGMs by the non diabetic population I would agree with her that "occasional" use might prove of value by allowing folks to draw causal links between what they eat and the effect on blood glucose. But that, of course, is not the goal of those pushing CGM use. Whether the manufacturer or some organization profiting through the sale of these devices, the goal will be to sell a CGM to everyone with the money to buy it and to encourage constant use of them in an effort to boost profitable sales of sensors. If this is allowed to occur we may well end up with millions of people driving themselves crazy in pursuit of the impossible goal of "perfect" glycemic control.
LOW quality guest (doesn’t mean all what she says is wrong) .. I don’t understand why Andrew a Stanford graduate is having this ..
I’m an endurance athlete and got a CGM after my leptin levels tested very low. I was curious about what was going on, as it can be an indicator of REDI-S. I feel like I am fueling enough. Well, when I start working out, my glucose levels fall within the first 10 minutes, and I spend most of my workouts between 54-56. When I sleep, I stay in the 50s every night. (My monitor won’t let me turn off the ultra-low glucose warning, so I had to set my phone outside my bedroom door.) My glucose levels seem to be too low! Sometimes, I do feel some brain fog or I just cannot get my legs moving fast enough on the bike. I do get a spike upon awakening, all the way up to 70-80, so it is a 20-30 spike. I see very little out there on low glucose levels in healthy people. I think it is impairing my performance. But, is this just my "normal"? Should I try to raise my glucose baseline? And, if so, can I do it without spikes and crashes?
Whats the target range i should be targeting ?
Thank you for this video. This somewhat confirms the diet that I have been on for the last 10 years. Eat right for your blood type.
Hmmm. This is very interesting. If the dawn effect could spike my blood glucose levels 10-15 points I would love a cgi which shows me what my levels are throughout the day without having to scan…
If the only way for me to see my levels are with a scan then I won’t be able to see where I am during sleep.
Please advise. Thanks.
Dont use a lingo its not for android and they wont return your money. Big scam
Thank you for this. The dawn effect is playing havoc with my glucose levels. I don’t sleep well, so that is one of the reasons.
OMG! I love the fact that some content providers are offering the long form AND the short form episodes on their channels. I’ve listened to many long indepth videos, and have learned SO MUCH. But I’ll benefit even more by consuming a few extra videos in the short format as well. Andrew, you’re a HUGE help to so many of us. Wishing you ALL THE BEST!!!
But not all CGM’s are accurate- what to choose?
But a CGM only measures glucose in our tissues, not our blood, so how accurate is it for what is really happening?
Dr Casey and Dr Huberman do it again. You just summarized everything I need to tell my new clients about healing insulin resistance. Thank you.
@0:42 *this only applies to diabetics.* Non-diabetics don’t have "spikes" and issues with it.
My CGM changed my life. It appears that I have reactive hypoglycemia and spikes/crashes were frequent. This caused a lot of headaches and worse, terrible restless leg syndrome. Within 2 weeks of regulating my glucose readings, I found myself on a keto diet and RLS was virtually gone.
My life is so different. Sleep is far better, my energy is steady, and headaches are gone. If anyone struggles with RLS, definitely look into your glucose metabolism.
So spikes are normal, but it is best to drop down fast?
Also, is it better to not spike very much at all?
Is it best to just keep it pretty level all day?
OK. so you see all this, but what do you do about it ?
I agree with her information 100%. 13 days of wearing a CGM and I am shocked at my response to even 15 gram carb meals! Anything higher I get a huge spike.
What is a good CGM for a non-diabetic?
I’m 70 and type 2. I have a cgm. It’s an amazing way to learn about the spikes and their meaning. I am definitely a cortisol spiker.
great info, i am a data nerd and love bio metrics. problem i have is a GP that is not interested in discussing this type of stuff. How do i ‘request’ a prescription for a CGM? Currently, i have purchased a manual GM – as they are available over the counter. Clearly though, it a wee bit intrusive into ones life…
I find it almost evil there’s this big push from mainstream medicine to discourage the use of CGMs in the non-diabetic public. Their arrogance in low balling the public’s mental capacity and inflating a downside of information overload, anxiety (out of ignorance) and overreaction against food choices that trigger blood sugar spikes/troughs is shameful. You would think that insurance companies would eventually support CGM use for education and the incredible motivational force that they can be to avoid bad lifestyle choices.