Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Enhanced Athlete Performance

 

Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Athlete Performance and Detection for Pre Diabetic Condition 

This device would be very useful to athletes, prediabetics; and importantly diabetics. in my pursuit of becoming a better athlete, I figured the blood glucose data that I collected would shed some light on tuning my performance.  I got some good insights into how food, blood glucose levels, insulin, and fasting affects athletic performance and health  

Firstly, why did I even try out the Sensor which continuously measures my glucose level (not having to prick my finger). Well, it has to do with the SuperSapiens app what many pro athletes are using to measure their glucose levels for optimal performance. Given that the device and app were not available in Singapore, I chanced upon this device after my friend Shankar brought it to my attention. This product is made for Singapore and is only available for local distribution. 

https://freestylelibre.com.sg/freestyle-libre-sensor.html

After using the device to measure my blood continuously for 12 days, here are my key observations:

• Some “healthy” foods (kebabs or wraps) spiked glucose due to hidden sugars (e.g. dressings, sauces, or gravies). Sone fruits (e.g. Duku or watermelon) can also increase levels.
• High GI Carbs (Indian sweets, wajik, Pau, sugarcane drinks, popiah, hawker food) spiked my glucose and also crashed it to low unhealthy levels making me wonky.
• Extended exercise of 3 to 4 hrs at moderate effort (60% to 70% of Max effort) may not require fuelling of carbohydrates (100Plus or Pocari) but you need to be adapted. Electrolytes (e.g. Sodium, Potassium) are still needed.
• Switching to low carbs or low GI food stabilized my sugar levels (5mmol/L to 8mmol/L, suppressed hunger for a longer periods, and gave me a better night's sleep.

Caveats: Everyone is different and each of us may have a different reaction to certain types of food. It is always good to get tested using the Libre device or see a doctor for professional advice. I don’t work for Libre or get any commission from them 😊. I am also not a doctor nor a qualified nutritionist. I have more than 13 years of consistent long-distance/endurance training and have completed 16+ hrs race and my body may have adaption/reaction to some foods.

Here is the blood glucose level chart from Health Hub to set the context of what are normal glucose levels.   https://www.healthhub.sg/a-z/diseases-and-conditions/669/blood-glucose-monitoring

Day 1 - 1st Sept 2021.  Went for a good hawker fare at Adam Road Food Centre. Had a plate of Hokkien Mee, dessert  and sugar cane juice and 30 mins later it spiked to 10.6  but dropped back to normal levels after 90 mins.

Day 2 - 2nd Sept 2021- I went full-on. Had 2 slices of whole bread with skippy's peanut butter. Spiked to 9.6 mmol/L.  For lunch, it was Chicken rice and 2 Ferrero chocolates, and that spiked it to 10.9. mmol/L. For dinner it was Basmati rice, sardine & sambar (lentils) and result was 9.6 mmol/L.

Day 5 - 5th Sept 2021 - After 4 days of full-on feasting, I began to get worried about the spikes in glucose levels and decided to go easy on the carbs. For dinner, I had Basil chicken, stirred fried veg and skipped the white rice.  The graph is starting to trend within the range. 

Day 6 - 6th Sept 2021 - Went to office and had a chicken pau with Teh Si (without sugar). Surprisingly it spiked my glucose level to > 10 and for dinner, I had fish soup and popiah. That too spiked glucose levels to  9.9.  Must be the sugar added to the sauces and popiah skin. 

Day 10 - 10th Sept 2021. Did well for the whole day until I had a late dinner (rich vegetarian meal) post my trip to Temple. I also had some Indian sweets to wash it down. Bad mistake. Levels spiked and the next day it went in the red zone for the first time in 10 days . 

Day 11 - 11th Sept 2021. Attempted a fasted 100km ride at moderate effort (65 % of Max Effort). I had Pocari and bananas just in case, I felt like bonking but that moment did not happen. I measured my glucose levels every 30 mins and it was at 5 to 6 mmol/L. Even at the end of 100km ride that took about 3hr 30mins in total ride time, I was still feeling comfortably uncomfortable. Maybe some electrolytes could have helped at this point in time. The glucose level was still good at 5.1 mmol/L. I felt light-headed after the finish. 

Other insights that I had during the 2 weeks of self-testing and research are as follows

• Ketogenic diets (High Fats, good levels of protein, and very low Carbs) or low Carb diets can keep insulin levels stable.
• High insulin levels or spikes are not good for the body, prevent weight loss, and hinders athletic performance.
• Health benefits of intermittent fasting.
• There are many names for sugar and some artificial sugars may slightly increase insulin levels due to taste receptors. These types of sugars are hidden in so many healthy foods that we consume.
•  After stopping sugar from my diet for 2 weeks, I lost nearly 1 kg of body weight. This could be slight fat loss, muscle mass, or just water. Need to monitor my weight on Xiaomi body composition scale.

 There are also links to some YouTube videos on carbs, glucose, insulin, T2D, and athlete performance,

1.  Dr. Paul Mason - 'Evidence based keto: How to lose weight and reverse diabetes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRHir1k9jmE&t=13s

2. Dr. Paul Mason - 'Low Carb from a Doctor's perspective'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBsnk2PtPeo&t=219s

3. Dr. Jeff Volek on Ketogenic Diets and Athletic Performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFqjqqJTJQ4

4. Complete Guide to Low Carb Ironman Triathlon Training

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnDTNvqZ_dY

Summary - As a long-distance age-grouper athlete, getting my nutrition right makes the difference between having a great race or suffering and walking. There seems to be increasing evidence that diabetes is on the rise and that is due to increased sugar intake over a period of time. Having insulin and glucose spikes can also undermine training and racing effort. Armed with some insights over this 12 days testing, I am going to sort out my nutrition and meals before buying another sensor that will last me for 2 weeks and what further insights may be obtained.