Your Body, Your Data: The Glucose Revolution

If you look at the most common causes of death, you'll see a familiar list: cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Together, these three chronic diseases are responsible for approximately two-thirds of all deaths.

Unlike infectious diseases, which we can treat with increasingly complex drug cocktails, the fight against chronic diseases is a battle against our lifestyle. Our bodies are so adept at maintaining proper functions under stress that small, continuous changes leading to these chronic diseases are all too easily overlooked. By the time we become aware of these changes, it may already be too late to do anything about them.

For years, even decades, you can go through life carefree, without much thought about your diet, exercise, or sleep. Being young is the ultimate way to stay healthy!

Then, suddenly, a blood value crosses a threshold, a sign that the body can no longer perfectly control its systems. This might initially be ignored because the result "wasn't that bad" or just barely outside the "normal" range. A few years later, symptoms may appear, or existing symptoms suddenly gain significance due to even worse test results. Medications (statins, blood pressure reducers, etc.) may then become necessary.

Meanwhile, there's a chance your doctor will give you a "lecture" about your lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary choices. Unfortunately, behavioral change is a complex problem, and most doctors don't have enough time to guide every patient through this process. Your doctor also knows that you are much more likely to take prescribed medication than to change your behavior.

What can help us turn the tide? How can we focus on early detection of signals and resolve them before they become symptomatic?

In two words: data and personalization. With the benefits of continuous biometric data, it is possible to detect small – but important – deviations from your norm. And with personalization, we can determine where that norm should be. Fortunately, progress is being made on both fronts.

All of us wear smartwatches or fitness trackers that continuously collect biometric and behavioral data. Modern analytical methods allow us to see patterns in large datasets that were previously hidden from us. However, technology is not the only obstacle on the path to prevention. Education, for both the patient and the healthcare provider, is just as important.

When that data comes in smoothly, we want to know how to make sense of it, and more importantly, when to suggest behavioral or medical interventions.

The logical question that then arises is: are there already devices on the market that provide us with valuable real-time data that we have overlooked? We believe the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is at least one such device.

For a type 1 diabetic, a CGM is a life-saving tool. Because their pancreas cannot produce insulin – an important metabolic hormone – their body cannot absorb glucose from the bloodstream. The CGM provides feedback on their blood sugar levels and then tells them when an insulin injection is needed.

Recent studies have shown that this constant elevated blood sugar causes many of the chronic diseases we experience in Western society. We evolved in an environment of scarcity, but now live in a world of abundance, to which our bodies have not evolved.

A CGM provides data that is immediate, personal, and actionable. It can tell me in real-time how my choice of food, portion size, and meal timing affects my blood sugar. This type of personalized feedback is much more meaningful to me than general health advice from books or friends.

The knowledge that the feedback comes from my own body then allows me to create a diet tailored to me, and not to a statistical approach of a human.

Your glucose can have a significant impact on how your body feels and functions. Therefore, stable values are an important factor for overall well-being. But looking at glucose alone is not enough. With kenku, you learn how to use the different data from your body to make informed lifestyle choices that support a healthy lifestyle.

Sign up for a program with our coach who will help you align your lifestyle and diet with your goals.

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