We are seeing more clients that have been prescribed Ozempic® (semaglutide), either to help control blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes, or as a way to support weight loss. The results we have seen have been positive, however clients that reach a plateau with their weight loss or still aren't achieving ideal glucose readings might benefit from seeing how their nutrition directly impacts their progress. We decided to test this by doing a mini case-study using a continuous glucose monitor.
With the help of one of our type 2 diabetic clients, we are able to show you what is actually happening when you take Ozempic® - spoiler alert.....it doesn't do all the work for you, read on to find out why! Our client wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for 6 weeks, mid-way through she was given dietary advice by one of our dietitians and after the final 3 weeks we assessed any changes in glucose levels, weight and her overall experience.
Note: This was only a 6 week study with 1 client so that needs to be considered when looking at the results, however the reason for doing this was just to highlight a personal experience and allow others to consider whether they might also benefit from using a CGM.
Here are the quick-links for each part of the article:
Introduction
Our client is a 41 year old female that had already been taking Ozempic® for 8 months Medical history: Type 2 diabetes High blood pressure BMI 33 (previous BMI 39) |
Client's goal while using CGM:
further weight loss (she already lost 10 Kg since starting Ozempic®)
she also wanted to learn more about her glucose control
Client's self-assessment before using the CGM:
rate your current nutrition (out of 10): 6/10
knowledge of how to control glucose levels: 4/10
Client comment: "I regularly crave sweet foods"
Week 1-3: without dietary advice
When we started using the CGM, we agreed that the client should eat "normally" so we got a baseline reading of her typical glucose readings. No dietary advice was given at this point. The graphs below show the average readings over a 24 hour period for 7 days. The area circled in red shows the times when glucose levels were most erratic (7pm-12am), and took over 2 hours to return to a normal level. After the first 3 weeks, dietary advice was provided. The advice was based on a combined assessment of glucose readings and a nutritional assessment of her dietary intake over the recorded period.
Week 4-6: after dietary advice
Following the dietary recommendations, you can see clear improvements in the evening blood glucose control (circled in green). The average readings were now falling between the "ideal" limits (reflected by the dotted lines above and below the green graph).
Conclusion
Choosing to take a medication such as Ozempic® is a personal decision that should be in agreement with your medical doctor. The important message that we want to get across is that it is still important to follow a healthy diet (and increase your physical activity) if you want to see long-lasting, maintainable results. If you find it hard to motivate yourself to change your eating habits, the instant visual feedback from the Veri app is a great way to start.
The CGM results measure glucose levels within the fluid surrounding your cells as opposed to finger-prick blood glucose readings, which measure the glucose in your blood. If you were to compare, there would be slight differences between the two readings, however the important information we are looking at with a CGM is the trend of how glucose levels change i.e. the direction and speed at which they increase/decrease. CGM results are just as valuable when wanting to improve glucose control, manage sweet cravings and improve overall health/nutrition and actually provides more information than a one-off blood glucose check. Different meal types, portion sizes, sleep patterns, exercise and stress are just some of the factors that can cause fluctuations in glucose levels.
Client's self-assessment after using the CGM:
rate your current nutrition (out of 10): 7/10 (previous 6/10)
knowledge of how to control glucose levels: 10/10 (previous 4/10)
Client comment: "I lost an additional 5 Kg during these 6 weeks!"
Here is some feedback from our client following this mini case study:
"The main positive was realising the effect certain food has on my glucose levels, and ultimately my body and health. I adapted my food habits to improve my health. As a visual person I liked that I could monitor my glucose and see the effects in a clear graph".
"It is important to note, that I have not been as actively concerned since I stopped wearing it and don't have this instant feedback. While I am still cautious of what I eat, I am less cautious than I was wearing the monitor.....I guess this is a case of out of sight, out of mind!"
Below are some examples of the visuals the client received, allowing direct feedback after each meal. This feedback enabled her to reflect on her choices and amend either the quantity or type of food eaten:
Would you wear a CGM again?
"Yes 100%. When you see the effects you immediately take action. I know that if I was to wear it for longer and learn even more, I would adopt a healthier, long-term diet".
If you want to learn more about the different services we offer at the Eat Well Clinic, involving glucose monitoring, please click here.
Comments