PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh is studying ways to improve the lives of Type 2 diabetics, or people who just want to control their sugar levels. A new over-the-counter device is giving researchers insight like they never have had before.
Elaine Chiaramonte just found out she’s pre-diabetic and insulin-resistant. She’s taking steps to control her sugar by using a new continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, that now is available without a prescription.
“It’s helped me learn which foods raise my sugar,” Chiaramonte said. “It was actually a real eye-opener because I didn’t realize how high my sugar went sometimes.”
The device is the Dexcom stello glucose biosensor system.
You snap it on your arm for 15 days and in real-time, you learn how food, activities, exercise and sleep affect your blood sugar.
Dr. Ann-Marie Rosland is a professor of medicine at Pitt.
“It gives you access to a lot more information that’s easier to get than it has to prick your finger which you’re doing at the most four times a day or so,” Dr. Rosland explained. “And it can be really empowering you know to see how you know changes that you make are affecting your personal sugar levels.”
It’s something Chiairmonte learned firsthand.
“One of my favorite staples was chicken tenders and french fry basket in the cafeteria,” she said. “Well, that would send my sugars up in the 240s I found out after I ate it the first time when I had the monitor on.”
Dr. Rosland says information like that is life-changing.
“Sometimes when people are able to make changes in their daily routine they can stop taking diabetes medicines that they needed before,” Rosland said.
That is the focus of a study Pitt is conducting right now.
“We have a minute-by-minute data on what your sugars were, how much if you were walking, how you were sleeping, we have people write their mood,” Dr. Rosland said. “We have all this and that in our computer and we can analyze all sorts of trends.”
Dr. Rosland added the machines aren’t just for people with diabetes.
Anyone can wear one to get information about their bodies.
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