Good morning. It’s Tuesday, January 9th.

In today’s email:

• Learn: All Things Continuous Glucose Monitor

• Try: 1 Month of a CGM

• Measure: Fasting Blood Glucose

• In the News: New Bra to Save 12M Lives

Stat of the Day

Decrease in all-cause mortality rates from the top quartile (lowest) of blood glucose levels to the bottom quartile (highest). (Study)

Learn

A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)

I opened the box and got out the sensor and there was this massive (at least in my head) needle sticking out that I was supposed to jab into myself in the back of the arm.

But putting on a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, you barely notice it when it goes into your skin and I totally forget it’s even there.

Back in December, I decided to try the Levels CGM for a month (no affiliation). I really wanted to better understand my metabolic health. Overall, my health is fine - but my speed and endurance weren’t where I wanted them to be.

I wanted to find out if I was eating anything that was spiking my glucose levels and pushing me down a path of poor health without realizing it. Plus - I’m that guy doing it during the holidays just to give myself the strictest test.

Levels is just one of multiple CGM companies that have increased access to these monitors for non-diabetics. Max tried out January AI - and there are others like Nutrisense, ZOE and Signos.

When I signed up for Levels, I had to submit a few health questions and technically get approval (similar to a prescription) from a licensed physician to be eligible for the CGM.

After waiting 24 hours, I was approved and then had to decide which monitor to get.

Levels doesn’t actually manufacture the hardware. You have your choice of either the Abbott Freestyle Libre or Dexcom. I’ll be honest - it wasn’t very clear which device to select and I had to do my own Google search to figure out which was better for me.

To someone without diabetes, the Dexcom 7 and Freestyle Libre 3 are very similar and both meet the needs for what you need without manually scanning your phone over the monitor. If you’re just looking for real-time readings of blood glucose, don’t over-think this - both should work.

I chose the Freestyle Libre 3 from Abbott. This means I also had to download the Abbott app. The Levels app then has an API to pull data from Abbott every 15 minutes.

I paid $199 + $10 shipping for the two CGM devices (each has a 14-day lifespan so you need two for a full month of data) and another $40 for a one-month Levels digital membership.

Note: Levels started the digital membership effective the day I paid for the devices, not when I received and activated the CGM (annoying). I explained the situation to Levels customer service and they did sync my membership to the life of the monitors.

Why go through all this trouble? 

1. The results are meaningful

Blood glucose levels measure our metabolic health and insulin resistance - which potentially leads to diabetes and is the impetus for nearly every chronic disease/killer that we need to avoid as we age.

Elevated blood glucose ranges - even below diabetic levels - are associated with higher rates of all-cause mortality.

2. The results are actionable

In a world where it’s easy to become overwhelmed by health and wearable data, this data helps identify immediate nudges or drastic changes to what, when and how you eat to improve your real-time glucose and metabolic health.

Yep - that spike was New Year’s Day. Too many nachos I guess.

Try

One Month of a CGM

The benefits of the CGM are real. We cover the details of the metric of your Fasting Glucose below - but this is a single snapshot of just one day from your blood test.

It’s critical to include this biomarker in your blood panel - and will directionally tell you where you’re at. But it can’t show you the spikes you get from specific foods and the variance from day-to-day based on sleep, stress, and exercise.

Try out a CGM for 1-2 months to figure out what changes will give you the biggest ROI. You honestly don’t need it for any longer - if you’re diligent in trying different foods and tracking your activity, then 1 month is totally fine.

Thursday - I’ll share more of the specific insights I’ve gleaned over the past 30 days.

Thrive25 Partner Spotlight

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Primal Kitchen redefines flavor with a healthy twist, offering an array of irresistible options. Enjoy a 10% discount off your entire order at Primal Kitchen. Don’t miss out - click HERE to claim your discount today!

Measure

Fasting Blood Glucose

Not always standard on your typical blood panel, make sure to request this biomarker be included in your lab tests during your annual physical with your primary care doc.

Fasting Blood Glucose - also sometimes called fasting plasma glucose - measures the amount of glucose (think sugar) in your blood after a period of at least 8 hours without eating.

It’s measured in milligrams (mg) of glucose per deciliter (dL) of blood.

Why It Matters

When fasting glucose is high, it’s usually a sign that insulin isn’t able to take this glucose into our cells and we’re well on our way to getting visceral fat and potentially diabetes. 

The Test

• Cost: $0, included in comprehensive metabolic panel (you may need to request) at your annual physical with insurance

• Prep: Fast for 8+ hours, water is allowed

• Reliability: high. However, some factors like illness, stress and medications can influence results

• Frequency: at least annually

Ranges

Standard = Less than 100 mg/dL

**Optimal = 72-85 mg/dL

If you’re above the standard - don’t wait for it to be “110+.” This is when most doctors will start to focus on it. This is a lagging indicator of high insulin.

That’s when to really double down on eating the right diet, getting more sleep, staying active, and lower stress.

Remember: The Thrive25 protocols are 3+ hours of Zone 2 and 30-60 min in Zone 5 per week.

H&L in the News

Winter Skin Care: It’s winter in the US - when temps drop the air gets drier and moisture is pulled from your lipid barrier (outermost skin layer). Take these actions to avoid dry, flaky skin, and prevent eczema, psoriasis and skin infections. (NYTimes)

New Bra Detects Cancer: Breast cancer screening is an imperfect science - mammography (x-ray) and breast MRI are uncomfortable and their accuracy varies significantly. MIT developed a wearable ultrasound monitor to be used between regular checkups that has the potential to save 12M lives. (WIRED)

Relationship with Alcohol: So you started Dry January, but had a drink over the weekend. Maybe it’s time to switch to Damp January. It works like you’d think - you drink less than normal. The benefit: avoid the yo-yo of drinking and abstinence month-to-month and transition to longer-term health goals. (Body+Soul)

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Why Thrive25

We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity. 

This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.

To health! 

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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.