#165 - AMA #24: Deep dive into blood glucose: why it matters, important metrics to track, and superior insights from a CGM

The Peter Attia Drive

In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter and Bob dive deep into blood glucose and why it matters so much with respect to metabolic health and longevity. They explain the need to pay close attention to metrics like average blood glucose, glucose variability, and peak glucose numbers. Additionally, Peter explains why he encourages all his patients, even nondiabetics, to utilize a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) which gives important insights that traditional lab testing and metrics consistently miss.

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We discuss:

• The problem with traditional blood tests and metrics for determining metabolic health [1:10];
• The superior insights from a continuous glucose monitor [6:15];
• Why lower is better than higher: average glucose, glucose variability, and glucose peaks [12:00];
• Deep dive into average blood glucose and the importance of having the lowest average blood glucose possible [14:45];
• Deep dive into glucose variability and why less variability is better [33:15];
• Example of how HbA1c and traditional measures could catch metabolic issues too late [41:45];
• Postprandial dips in blood glucose as a predictor of subsequent hunger and energy intake [43:00];
• Exploring the idea that the suppression of fatty acids is actually causing hunger rather than a low blood glucose [49:45];
• Deep dive into peak glucose and why lower peaks is better [57:15];
• What the best rodent models tell us about the impact of peak glucose levels [1:06:25];
• Why Peter encourages all his patients to wear a CGM [1:14:30]; and
• More.

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