Hair-sized implant and your health

April 19, 2015 12:02 PM

Here's a minimally invasive Dexcom subdermal implant about the width of a human hair that allows you to see your blood sugar in real time.

Human glucose monitor

Apple is one of several tech firms racing to create the first-ever blood-glucose monitor that doesn’t require you to prick the skin and draw blood, widely considered the “game changer” of health monitoring.

Well, heres the the next best thing: a minimally invasive Dexcom subdermal implant about the width of a human hair that allows you to see your blood sugar in real time.

Here are three things we learned about living with up-to-the-minute access to your body blood sugar.

1) A bad breakfast is worse than no breakfast

To test-run the Dexcom, typical breakfast of a bagel and orange juice was eaten. The normal blood sugar is in the 70s (healthy), and after the meal it rocketed up to 160 (prediabetic territory) in an hour.

On the mornings when lighter stuff, like fruit, was ingested, there was still a substantial sugary spike.

2) My mood fluctuated with my sugar

After a Naked Green Machine smoothie, something supposedly healthy, blood glucose jumped to 130 within an hour, and a headache was noticed.

Most people think of soda as Enemy No. 1 when it comes to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease but the begged to differ, as well as the subsequent headache.

3) Exercise is the wonder drug for cheat meals

Working out may be good for controlling blood sugar, but the way it affects your blood sugar when you eat terrible foods like pizza or a burger and fries is life altering.

Each day after eating badly, junk food and such, but intensely exercised, blood sugar spikes were lesser than on days that junk foods were ingested without exercise.

In other words, the device showed that working out allows you to cheat a little with your diet.

Awesome discovery right? Bet it would make you think twice before munching on that calorie loaded meal.