Diabetes study finds keeping blood sugar too steady may come at a price
A study presented at the EASD meeting suggests that strictly maintaining steady blood sugar levels may negatively impact the quality of life for some diabetes patients. Researchers found that allowing for minor fluctuations within safe limits can improve daily well-being and energy.
Why it matters
This challenges traditional rigid management protocols, suggesting that patient-centered quality of life should be balanced with clinical glucose control.
New research suggests that keeping blood sugar extremely steady may come with an unexpected tradeoff for some people with diabetes.
The findings, which will be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept. 28 - Oct. 2), indicate that people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes sometimes reported a better quality of life after days when their glucose levels fluctuated more, provided those levels remained within safe limits.
Researchers paired data from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices with daily well-being assessments. Their results suggest that the effort and restrictions required to minimize every glucose fluctuation could make it harder for some people to enjoy everyday activities.
The research was conducted by Professor Dominic Ehrmann of FIDAM (Research Institute Diabetes Academy Mergentheim), Bad Mergentheim, Germany, and colleagues.
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