How a Continuous Glucose Monitor Can Improve Hormone Health
- Rene Munday
Hormone health is a critical aspect of overall well-being, influencing various bodily functions, including metabolism, mood, and reproduction. One often overlooked factor in hormone health is blood glucose levels. High blood glucose can have significant impacts on hormone balance, particularly concerning insulin and sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Our goal is to educate women and empower them to find out what works for their bodies so they can make informed choices for better health and well-being. Using a CGM is just one tool that can provide valuable insights into how diet and lifestyle affect blood glucose levels, helping women make personalized choices to support their hormonal health.
What is a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) and How Does It Work?
A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) is a small device that tracks glucose levels throughout the day and night, providing real-time data on how food, exercise, and other factors affect blood sugar levels. CGMs use a tiny sensor inserted under the skin to measure glucose levels in the interstitial fluid, which correlates closely with blood glucose levels. It’s usually attached to the upper arm and is painless. Blood glucose levels are easily transmitted to an app on your phone for easy reading.
CGMs offer a more comprehensive picture of glucose control than traditional methods like fingerstick testing, allowing individuals to see trends and make informed decisions about their diet and lifestyle. Fingerstick test only shows one moment in time, where the CGM tracks at least 8 hours of data and fluctuations.
How High Blood Glucose Affects Insulin and Hormones
When blood glucose levels rise, insulin is released by the pancreas. The CGM tracks the rise in blood sugar, it does not track the rise of insulin, but in individuals without type 1 diabetes, a blood sugar increase is always accompanied by an insulin release. Insulin moves the blood glucose into cells to use for energy. Insulin itself is a hormone. While insulin is a necessary and healthy part of keeping the balance in the body, too much insulin can wreak havoc on your hormones.
Imbalanced Estrogen: High insulin levels can cause a decrease in estrogen production. Low estrogen in women can cause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and decreased bone density. However, over time, insulin resistance results in increased estrogen levels—both by increasing aromatase activity, resulting in the conversion of testosterone into estrogen, and by decreasing sex-hormone-binding globulin, resulting in greater amounts of free circulating estrogen. insulin resistance which can lead to estrogen dominance and related issues like heavy periods, PMS, and fibroids.
Increased Testosterone Levels: In women, insulin resistance can increase testosterone levels. Excess testosterone in women can lead to symptoms such as irregular menstrual cycles, increased facial and body hair, acne, and potential infertility.
Progesterone Imbalance: Insulin resistance can also impact progesterone levels, potentially leading to irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, and other issues.
What is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body's cells become less responsive to the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and helps regulate blood sugar levels by allowing glucose to enter cells for energy. In insulin resistance, cells no longer respond efficiently to insulin's signals, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. This can eventually result in the pancreas producing more insulin to compensate, leading to higher insulin levels in the blood. Insulin resistance is often caused by a combination of genetic factors, obesity, lack of physical activity, chronic stress and an unhealthy diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugars. Over time, insulin resistance can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. During insulin resistance, the body compensates by releasing more insulin which contributes to more of the problems with high insulin mentioned above.
The Role of CGM in Weight Loss and Hormone Regulation
Maintaining stable blood glucose levels is crucial for weight management and hormone balance. CGM data can help individuals understand how different foods, activities, and stress levels affect their blood sugar, allowing them to make targeted lifestyle changes to support hormone health.
Insulin plays a crucial role in fat storage within the body. When blood glucose levels rise after a meal, the pancreas releases insulin to signal cells to absorb glucose for energy. However, insulin also promotes the storage of excess glucose as fat in adipose tissue. In the presence of insulin, fat cells take up glucose and convert it into fatty acids, which are then stored as triglycerides. This process is essential for energy storage but can contribute to weight gain and obesity. Insulin resistance disrupts this process, leading to higher insulin levels and increased fat storage, particularly around the abdomen.
Fat cells, also known as adipocytes, can produce estrogen through a process called aromatization, where androgens, such as testosterone, are converted into estrogen. Excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, can lead to higher levels of estrogen in the body, which may contribute to estrogen dominance and related health issues in both men and women.
CGM data can show how certain foods spike blood glucose levels, leading to insulin spikes and potential hormonal imbalances. By making dietary adjustments based on CGM readings, individuals can support weight loss and improve hormone balance.
Hormonal Fluctuations Throughout the Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is characterized by fluctuations in hormone levels, which can also affect blood glucose control. During the follicular phase (the first half of the cycle), estrogen levels rise, which can increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose levels. In contrast, during the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle), progesterone levels rise, which can lead to insulin resistance and higher blood glucose levels.
Using a CGM can help women track these hormonal fluctuations and make lifestyle adjustments to support stable blood glucose levels throughout the menstrual cycle.
The Connection Between Nutrition and CGM Readings
Nutrition plays a crucial role in blood glucose control and hormone balance. Certain foods, especially those high in refined carbohydrates, sugars and seed oils can cause blood glucose spikes, leading to insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances.
A diet rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods, including vegetables, fruits, animal proteins, and healthy fats, can support stable blood glucose levels and hormone balance. CGM data can help individuals identify which foods work best for their body and make informed choices to support their hormonal health.
How to get a CGM
A CGMs can be obtained by getting a prescription from your doctor. Most insurance plans will cover a CMG, especially with a diagnosis of diabetes or pre-diabetes. If your doctor will not write you a prescription or your insurance will not cover it, you can go directly to the manufacturer's website to purchase and they usually offer a discount. If you need help navigating obtaining a CGM, you can make an appointment with us for some guidance.
There are several brands of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems available on the market. Some of the popular brands include:
Dexcom: Dexcom offers a range of CGM systems, including the Dexcom G6 and Dexcom G7, which provide continuous glucose readings and trend information.
Medtronic: Medtronic offers the Guardian Connect CGM system, which provides continuous glucose monitoring and alerts for high and low blood sugar levels.
Abbott: Abbott's FreeStyle Libre system is a popular CGM option that uses a sensor worn on the back of the upper arm to provide continuous glucose readings.
Senseonics: Senseonics offers the Eversense CGM system, which includes a long-term implantable sensor that provides continuous glucose monitoring for up to 90 days.
Medtrum: Medtrum offers the S6 CGM system, which provides continuous glucose monitoring and can be integrated with insulin pump therapy.
These are just a few examples of the CGM brands available on the market, and new brands and systems continue to be developed as technology advances.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8915088/
https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/docs/Estrogen-Dominance.pdf