Glucose monitors cut blood sugar in type 2 diabetes without insulin, trial finds

A six-month trial found that adults with type 2 diabetes who used Dexcom’s G7 sensor achieved greater improvements in blood sugar control than those receiving standard care.

A six-month trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that continuous glucose monitoring may help adults with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin improve their blood sugar control, adding to evidence that the technology could have a broader role than current guidance typically allows. In the study, 283 adults received either Dexcom’s G7 sensor or standard care, and those using the device saw a sharper fall in haemoglobin A1c, the measure of average blood sugar over time, than those in the comparison group.

The participants using the monitor lowered their average A1c from 8.8% to 7.2%, while the routine-care group fell from 8.7% to 8%. After accounting for individual risk factors, researchers said the reduction was close to one percentage point greater among Dexcom users. The group with continuous monitoring also spent about five extra hours a day within the target glucose range of 70 to 180 milligrams per decilitre. The benefit was seen across age, sex, ethnicity, body-mass index, income, education, insurance status and use of glucose-lowering medication. At the end of the trial, 97% of participants were still using the device, most of them daily.

The findings may matter because continuous glucose monitors are usually recommended mainly for people who take insulin. But the trial, sponsored by Dexcom, points to a possible earlier use in type 2 diabetes, before insulin treatment becomes necessary. Roy Beck, who led the study at the Jaeb Centre for Health Research in Tampa, Florida, said in a statement that the consistency of the benefit across a wide range of people and treatment regimens supports studying continuous monitoring much earlier in the management of type 2 diabetes.