This sounds very interesting as another metric (like weight on a scale, as you put it) for someone trying to be conscious about their health. Is this something that a person could do cheaply at home with over-the-counter diabetic testing supplies? Could you be more specific or link to something about a protocol for e.g. measuring the effect of a meal on blood glucose and how to interpret those results?
Testing instruments are widely available and affordable too due to diabetes being such a widespread disease.
I've just started using Freestyle Libre[1]. It's quite affordable even though it's not as accurate as blood measurements. It's possible to have one sensor attached for up to two weeks. This should be enough time to assess your body's reaction to carbs.
I don't know how you would test for pre-diabetes but to test for diabetes you can basically just drink a lot of sugar-water and see what your blood does. There are levels you can't reach unless you're diabetic.
Personally I've switched to a mostly carb-free diet because managing sugar levels is much easier that way.
Have you tried to use it with xDrip plus[1] and an NFC capable Android phone? It allows you to calibrate the values using accurate blood glucose values. If you do a bit of research and do the calibrations right, it can be as accurate as the values from a fingerstrip reader.
Being a type 1 diabetic, this software has changed my life totally. It's just that good nothing else comes even close. I use Dexcom G4 as my CGM and I wrote an InfluxDB support to xDrip, so now I can use Grafana to monitor my glucose values in real time.
The development of xDrip plus is very active, so you probably want to use the nightlies.
You would need a blood glucose meter (BGM), lancets, and strips. About $50 to get started.
Taking the measurement by washing your hands or wiping off your finger with an alcohol wipe, let dry, prick finger, squeeze to produce a small blood droplet, touch the end of the strip to the blood.
As far as interpreting expected results an hour after a meal; it depends on about a half dozen primary factors.
- Baseline fasting glucose level
- # of carbs consumed
- Ratio of simple/complex carbs and how much associated protein and fat in the meal
8 carbs of juice will spike blood sugar a lot faster than 8 carbs of ice cream because fat/protein/fiber can all slow down absorption of the carbs.
But in general healthy glucose level is 90 - 120 mg/dL and I'd imagine an hour after eating you should be a bit higher maybe up to 140.
I did exactly this, at least here in the US the machines are very inexpensive and even free because manufacturers make $ from the strips. So for about $30 I was able to do readings several times a day for a week. My PCP was impressed.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice and I'm not very knowledgeable, I'm just a data and public health geek. If you believe you may have diabetes or pre-diabetes, contact a doctor.
Yes, it's doable with over-the-counter products. You need a meter and lancet device, and then for each test, a single-use lancet insert (tiny needle) and test strip.
These are usually bundled together in a pharmacy for $25-$75. However, if you look or ask the pharmacist, there's often a 100% money back refund right in the store.
Additional test strips are $0.75-$1.75/strip in packs of 25, 50, or 100. While that sounds expensive (and for diabetics, is), for the purposes we're talking about, one could probably only test after high-carb meals and a few days of fasting readings. The included 25-50 test strips may yield enough data to act on, and if not, one more 25-50 pack probably would.
https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/what-is-a-normal... has more about when to test (basically, 1 and 2 hours after the start of a meal) and what results to expect. Feel free to ask the pharmacist to show you how to use it and interpret the results.
Important note: this feels nothing like a blood draw. It's barely noticeable at all and not anything I'd call painful. There's a depth adjustment on the lancet, so it's the tiniest imaginable prick on the side of a finger. It yields less than a drop of blood, then immediately closes, ie, no bandage or bleeding.
I did this myself as an extension of quantified self in 2012 (https://twitter.com/troyd/status/281931325471068161), just because I wanted to see the readings and the process. I did it again this year to see whether the testing process had improved (no) or my results had changed (no). Other than some puzzled pharmacists who aren't used to people buying a meter for cash, there's really nothing to it. It'll also give a tiny peek at a process that millions of people do all the time.
It's fascinating to see how one's body responds, particularly to meals that aren't obviously unhealthy (and depending on the person, may not be). Some examples: sandwiches (especially on big hoagie/grinder-style refined bread), burritos (tortilla+rice+beans), any meals with 2 significant sources of carbs (sandwich with fries or potato, breakfast with toast and hash browns, etc), and pasta. These aren't inherently unhealthy, but they all significantly raise blood glucose, and the only way to see how much is to test. More on "glycemic load": https://www.google.com/search?q=glycemic+load
My mother and her sisters are all diabetic and while my yearly blood work always comes out fine, I've always wanted to do some additional testing because I've noticed my mood is affected by meals.
Thank you for taking the time to write out your comment, I will be buying the testing supplies in the coming days.
