Influencers have found their latest wellness obsession \u2014 and, once again, diabetics got there first.<\/p>\n
First, came GLP-1 drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, social media\u2019s health gurus are borrowing another tool that\u2019s been helping people with diabetes for decades, convinced it can unlock the secrets to eating better, training smarter and living longer. <\/p>\n Healthy influencers are embracing a wearable designed for diabetics in hope of optimizing everything from diets to workouts. Instagram\/glucosegoddess<\/p>\n From fitness trainers to bestselling authors, influencers with millions of followers are embracing the trend and reporting back to their fans. But some doctors aren\u2019t convinced people without diabetes have much to gain.<\/p>\n The device at the center of the trend is a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM \u2014 a small wearable sensor that tracks blood sugar around the clock.<\/p>\n Designed for people with diabetes, CGMs are typically worn the back of the arm or abdomen. The sensor uses a tiny needle to place a thin, flexible filament just beneath the skin, where it continuously measures glucose levels and sends the data to an app or device. <\/p>\n For people with diabetes, the technology has been life-changing, helping them make decisions about insulin dosing, food and physical activity while reducing the risk of dangerous low blood sugar episodes. <\/p>\n Now, CGMs are becoming one of wellness culture\u2019s hottest accessories. <\/p>\n Last year, the FDA approved Stelo<\/a>, the first over-the-counter CGM, opening the door for millions of Americans without diabetes to buy one themselves. <\/p>\n Owner company Dexcom markets the device as a way to \u201ctrack glucose 24\/7 to become a healthier you\u201d and has partnered with Oura<\/a> so users can combine glucose data with sleep, recovery and activity metrics.<\/p>\n Fitness trainer and creator Ryan Fischer shared a Reel titled \u201cWhat I Learned From Wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor as a Non-Diabetic.\u201d Instagram\/ryanfisch<\/p>\n Anastasia (@nastyaswan) said \u201ctrying health & wellness gadgets\u201d is her \u201cobsession\u201d in a video about using a CGM. Tiktok\/@nastyaswan<\/p>\n Since then, healthy consumers have flocked to the sensors drawn by the claims that monitoring blood sugar can improve metabolic health, aid weight loss, boost athletic performance, sharpen focus and even help prevent disease by revealing how food, stress and exercise affect the body. <\/p>\n French influencer Jessie Inchausp\u00e9 \u2014\u00a0 better known as Glucose Goddess<\/a> \u2014\u00a0documented herself applying a Stelo sensor<\/a> in a sponsored Instagram Reel for her more than six million followers. The biochemistry graduate has built a massive audience around \u201csimple tools\u201d for minimizing blood sugar spikes without restrictive dieting.<\/p>\n Dr. Jennifer Ashton, an OB-GYN and former chief medical correspondent for ABC News, recounted a month-long CGM \u201cwellness experiment\u201d<\/a> for her nearly 700,000 Instagram followers to see how different foods affected her glucose levels. Neither Inchausp\u00e9 nor Ashton have diabetes.<\/p>\n CGMs have had celebrity endorsements by the likes of Nick Jonas, who has type 1 diabetes and needs it for medical reasons. Dexcom<\/p>\n Fitness trainer and creator Ryan Fischer joined the movement as well, sharing his experience<\/a> with more than 700,000 followers in a Reel titled \u201cWhat I Learned From Wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor as a Non-Diabetic.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, high-profile endorsements from celebrities who do have diabetes \u2014 include Nick Jonas and Lance Bass \u2014 have piqued fans\u2019 interested, regardless of their own diabetic status.<\/p>\n But some doctors say the social media enthusiasm has outpaced the science.<\/p>\n What do blood glucose levels tell us?<\/p>\n Blood glucose is the body\u2019s primary source of energy and naturally rises after eating before returning to normal levels. <\/p>\n Those fluctuations are a normal part of metabolism, particularly after carbohydrate-rich foods. Over time, repeated and significant blood sugar spikes can contribute to a range of health issues, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney disease and weight gain.<\/p>\n For people with diabetes who use insulin, CGMs are invaluable because they help prevent hypogylcemia Doctors say CGMs are life-changing for people with diabetes, like NSYNC-er Lance Bass (pictured), but evidence of benefits for healthy users remains limited. Instagram\/lancebass<\/p>\n For everyone else, however, the picture is much murkier.<\/p>\n Researchers still don\u2019t know whether tracking the normal day-to-day glucose swings of healthy people leads to better long-term health or meaningfully lowers disease risk. There\u2019s also the possibility that all those numbers do more harm than good.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a non diabetic individual, a continuous glucose monitor may cause anxiety over normal glucose fluctuations,\u201d endocrinologist Dr. Ayushi Dixit<\/a> told the Post.<\/p>\n She believes the trend reflects today\u2019s culture of data-driven wellness, where \u201ceveryone wants more numbers, more metrics, and more ways to optimize their health.\u201d<\/p>\n While Dixit called CGMs \u201can incredible life-changing advancement\u201d for people with diabetes \u2014\u00a0 a benefit repeatedly proven in clinical trials \u2014\u00a0she worries they can become \u201cjust another number to fixate on\u201d for non-diabetic users.<\/p>\n
\u2014 low blood sugar \u2014 and improve glucose control by guiding insulin doses, meal planning and physical activity.<\/p>\n