New research suggests that blood sugar patterns observed through continuous glucose monitors may reveal early signs of cardiometabolic risks in adults without diabetes, potentially transforming future screening practices.
Researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine say glucose patterns recorded by continuous glucose monitors may reveal cardiometabolic risk in adults without diabetes, adding to the idea that blood sugar tracking could one day help identify people at higher risk of hypertension, abnormal cholesterol and related disease. Their findings, published in Diabetes Care and discussed by News-Medical, build on an analysis of data from about 1,300 participants in the Framingham Heart Study.
The study focused on people without diabetes or cardiovascular disease and looked beyond standard tests such as fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c, which give only brief snapshots of blood sugar. By examining average glucose, glucose variability and the amount of time participants spent above 140 mg/dL, the researchers found that higher average glucose and more time spent above that threshold were linked to less favourable cardiometabolic profiles. Nicole Spartano, the study’s corresponding author, said understanding glucose patterns over time may help uncover early or intermittent dysglycaemia and the risks that follow.
The work adds to a small but growing field of research on CGM in people without diabetes. A preprint posted on medRxiv in February reported similar associations between CGM-derived measures and estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk in Framingham participants, while a separate scoping review on PubMed found that CGM metrics in diabetes, prediabetes and related groups can improve risk stratification beyond HbA1c alone. In another trial, CGM use in patients with type 2 diabetes not taking insulin improved glucose control and reduced cardiovascular risk factors.
Taken together, the studies suggest CGM may have uses beyond diabetes management, although researchers caution that more work is needed before it can be used routinely for cardiovascular risk assessment in otherwise healthy adults. The broader implication is that static laboratory tests may miss patterns that continuous monitoring can capture, but the evidence is still emerging and not yet ready to change standard screening on its own.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
