The FDA approved continuous glucose monitoring devices for non-diabetics in early 2024, sparking mixed reactions from medical professionals. While some argue that other health measures are more important, like waist circumference and blood pressure, others point out some non-diabetic users find value in these devices for personal insight. A case of a 76-year-old woman illustrates this, as she discovered how her diet related to her energy levels. However, many non-diabetics purchasing these devices are already in good health, raising questions about their benefits.
"Waist circumference, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, resting heart rate - they are much better measures of how healthy someone is than glucose," the University of Oxford's Nicola Guess told The Atlantic.
Many of the non-diabetics who are buying continuous glucose monitors are already healthy, meaning that they aren't the people who would benefit the most from the devices in question.
Companies are using this self-monitoring to help people personally arrive at the conclusion that the literature has arrived at: physical activity and eating whole foods is good for our overall health.
Some non-diabetic users have found the devices useful, though: NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reported on one 76-year-old woman who used a monitor to better understand why she was feeling sluggish.
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