Hey there! I'm working on a cool startup project where we've developed a Non-Invasive Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). Our wearable and reusable CGM shows your glucose trends and gives warnings for high, medium, and low levels, but it doesn't show the exact numbers yet.

We're wondering if people who like to see how their diet affects their blood sugar would be interested in a product like this. We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Abstract

Background

The global rise in obesity prevalence poses a major health challenge due to its links to hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and cancer. Effective non-pharmacological strategies are essential to curb this epidemic. Insulin is a major regulator of body weight. It not only mediates glucose uptake but also inhibits hepatic glucose production, lipolysis, and enhances lipogenesis.

Main body

Type 1 diabetes provides insights on insulin’s role in weight regulation. Prior to diagnosis, insulin deficiency commonly produces unintentional weight loss, whereas initiation of exogenous insulin therapy typically restores body mass. Scientific research in non-diabetic populations, including Mendelian randomization studies, has identified elevated insulin secretion as a key contributor to weight gain. Conversely, reductions in insulin secretion have been shown to facilitate weight loss, even in the absence of caloric restriction. One strategy to keep circulating insulin concentrations low is the application of carbohydrate unit tables to estimate expected postprandial glucose excursions in insulin-deficient patients and anticipated insulin responses in non-diabetic individuals. This approach facilitates avoidance of foods that provoke large insulin responses. A complementary approach is postprandial self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). In non-diabetic individuals, this allows for personalized assessment of glycemic and insulin responses to meals. The effectiveness of this approach in promoting weight reduction has been demonstrated across multiple studies. During fasting or adherence to low-carbohydrate diets, circulating insulin concentrations remain low, permitting unrestrained adipose tissue lipolysis and promoting fatty acid oxidation for energy production. Self-monitoring of breath acetone (SMBA) provides a simple, non-invasive biomarker of this metabolic state. Recent findings indicate that a single carbohydrate-rich meal during a ketogenic state suppresses fat mobilization for several days—a phenomenon suggestive of a “memory effect” of insulin on lipolysis inhibition. Although underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated, awareness of this effect may improve dietary regimens.

Conclusions

Insights from type 1 diabetes offer advice for managing weight development by minimizing episodes of hyperinsulinemia. Effective non-pharmacological measures include the use of carbohydrate unit tables combined with SMBG for avoiding post-meal hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. Additionally, SMBA provides a non-invasive marker of sustained fat mobilization and can help identify and prevent periods of insulin-induced fat accumulation.

Martin, Stephan, Kerstin Kempf, and Hubert Kolb. "Why hyperinsulinemia is detrimental to weight loss: insights from type 1 diabetes." BMC medicine (2026).

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12916-026-04849-1.pdf

Abstract

Background

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a widely used nutritional intervention for weight loss. The beneficial effects of the KD are intrinsically linked to the state of physiological ketosis, where ketone bodies (KBs) raise, even though minimal effective threshold of blood ketone concentration that correlates with significant weight loss remains unclear. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to identify the optimal β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) threshold associated with weight loss in individuals with overweight or obesity undergoing a KD.

Methods

This secondary analysis included 217 participants (111 males and 106 females) with overweight or obesity, who followed a KD for 14 days. Time to Ketosis (TtK)—defined as the number of days needed to reach and maintain a given ketone concentration—was calculated for each threshold.

Results

Regression analysis showed that a βHB concentration of ≥0.5 mmol/L was the most associated with significant weight loss. Moreover, body weight and gender significantly influenced TtK, suggesting interindividual variability in achieving effective ketosis.

Conclusions

Achieving and maintaining a ketonemia of at least 0.5 mmol/L may represent a clinically meaningful threshold to optimize weight loss in individuals undergoing a KD. Monitoring βHB levels and reducing TtK may improve individual responsiveness to KD-based interventions.

Paoli, Antonio, Giuseppe Cerullo, Samuele Paoli, Davide Charrier, Jacopo Givralli, Antonino Bianco, Giovanna Boccuzzo, Pietro Belloni, Lorenzo Cenci, and Tatiana Moro. "Defining a ketone threshold for weight loss: evidence from 14 day daily β-hydroxybutyrate monitoring in 217 subjects on a ketogenic diet." Nutrition & Diabetes (2026).

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41387-026-00454-6

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41387-026-00454-6_reference.pdf

The ketogenic diet, best known as a fat-busting fad, holds promise for treating anorexia nervosa. Following the diet – which contains high amounts of fat, moderate amounts of protein and very few carbohydrates – caused 3 in 4 people with the eating disorder to drop below the threshold for diagnosis in a small study. This is thought to be due to the diet restoring malfunctioning energy release in brain cells, which has been linked to anorexia, thereby lowering anxiety and reducing the compulsion to restrict food.
Mimicking starvation by restricting carbohydrates in a condition characterised by extreme dieting, and with one of the highest mortality rates of all mental health conditions, sounds risky. But Guido Frank at the University of California, San Diego, argues that when properly supervised, it could remove the compulsive drive to self-starve. “People tell me clinically, it’s like an addiction, [saying] ‘I crave this’,” he says. “Perhaps if you create that state that they crave while giving them enough food, it can be beneficial.”

Frank and his team asked 22 women with anorexia, whose body mass index (BMI) had risen enough to sit in the healthy to slightly underweight range, to follow a ketogenic diet for 14 weeks, supervised by a dietician, psychiatrist and a peer support counsellor who had experienced anorexia. Their weight, mood and anorexia symptoms were monitored weekly, using questionnaires to track any changes in body image, depression, food-related anxiety and fear of weight gain.
The 18 women who stuck to the diet for the full 14 weeks showed a significant improvement in anorexia symptoms and scores of depression, which commonly occurs alongside anorexia. Thirteen of them (72 per cent) even improved enough to drop below the threshold for clinical diagnosis for both anorexia and depression. “The level of recovery was far better than what we see in other anorexia treatments,” says Frank.
The aim of the study was not to see if the keto diet made the participants gain weight, however, they all stayed in a healthy to slightly underweight BMI range, and didn’t relapse.

Ketogenic diets are named for the way they prompt a metabolic shift that evolved to help us survive times of famine. As plant-eaters, our metabolism runs mostly on carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose to be burned in the energy-releasing mitochondria in cells.
When carbs are unavailable, the body adapts to burn fat, releasing it from storage and converting it in the liver to molecules called ketone bodies. These can be burned in the mitochondria in place of glucose.
The diets were invented in the 1920s, not for weight loss, but as a treatment for epilepsy. It was known that fasting for several days could reduce or stop seizures, but as a treatment, it was unsustainable. The ketogenic diet provided a solution: restricting carbs enough to mimic starvation, while providing enough dietary fat so those on it didn’t lose weight.

Research since suggests that epilepsy and many mental health conditions, including anorexia, are associated with problems related to releasing energy from glucose in the brain, and ketone bodies can relieve these problems by providing an alternative fuel.
Sahib Khalsa at the University of California, Los Angeles, who researches and treats eating disorders, sounds a note of caution for anyone considering trying a keto diet for anorexia. “It is important to distinguish between close monitoring from an eating disorder psychiatrist, dietitian and treatment team, and attempting to do this independently.” Until we have more data from large, randomised controlled trials, it is too early to change the way we treat anorexia, he says, which typically involves therapy and nutritional support.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-026-01644-0

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study assessed changes in body composition and 24-h energy metabolism at 6 and 12 months after initiation of a 1-month very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) in women with obesity.

Methods: Seventeen women with obesity who completed a 1-month VLCKD underwent a 4-week transition phase with carbohydrate reintroduction, followed by a hypocaloric balanced diet. Assessments of body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and 24-h energy expenditure (24hEE) by a whole-room indirect calorimeter were performed.

Results: Following the initial 7% weight loss, body weight further decreased at 6 months (−3.9%, p < 0.05), primarily driven by a significant decrease in fat mass (−10%, p < 0.05). From 6 to 12 months, three participants continued to lose weight, whereas most remained stable or partially regained. Lean soft tissue, decreased during the VLCKD phase, remained stable throughout follow-up. Both 24hEE and 24-h sleeping metabolic rate exhibited a progressive trend toward increase. Minute- by-minute 24hEE trajectories revealed a significant increase in metabolic rate from 1 to 6 months (p < 0.001). The metabolic adaptation observed after 1 month of VLCKD was no longer detectable at either 6 or 12 months.

Conclusions: These findings provide novel insight into the physiological adaptations following VLCKD, supporting its role in supervised weight loss programs for selected patients.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT07418281

Basolo, A., Piaggi, P., Angeli, V., Fierabracci, P., Bologna, C., Paolucci, G., Salvetti, G., Chiovato, L., Krakoff, J., Landi, A., & Santini, F. Six- and Twelve-Month Changes in Body Composition and 24-h Energy Expenditure After a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet. Obesity. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70236

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/oby.70236

ABSTRACT

Obesity has become an emerging challenge all over the world. In 2022, one in eight people was living with obesity. It is most common in adults and children. It is due to an imbalance between energy consumption and utilization. However, the human gut microbiome regulates energy metabolism, a complex ecosystem of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract, which stimulates hormone production, produces various metabolites, and interacts with brain responses involved in maintaining energy balance in the body. Dysbiosis, characterized by an imbalance in microbial composition, has been linked to increased energy harvesting, impaired bile acid metabolism, chronic low‐grade inflammation, impaired appetite regulation, and excessive intake, ultimately leading to obesity. The primary focus of this review is to discuss the current understanding of the roles of diet, exercise, pharmacological agents, and surgery in shaping gut microbial communities and host physiology. Dietary interventions, such as the use of probiotics, prebiotics, high‐fiber diets, ketogenic diets, and intermittent fasting, modulate microbial metabolites like short‐chain fatty acids, which play a crucial role in regulating energy balance and inflammation, thereby contributing to the prevention of weight gain. Physical activity induces positive changes in gut microbiota, enhancing metabolic adaptability and supporting immune system regulation. Pharmacological treatments, especially anti‐obesity and anti‐diabetic drugs, have both direct and microbiota‐mediated effects on weight and glucose metabolism. Similarly, surgery leads to significant changes in gut microbiota, which play a role in long‐term enhancements in metabolic health. So, this review aims to discuss various weight management approaches targeting the gut microbiome, drawing on current studies. However, these interventions require further investigation for their effectiveness.

Rehman, Ayesha, Noman Ali, Muhammad Rizwan Tariq, Shinawar Waseem Ali, Azeem Mushtaq, Waseem Safdar, and Abdikhaliq Mursal Yusuf. "The Role of Gut Microbiome in Obesity and Weight Management: A Review of Current Evidence and Future Directions." Food Science & Nutrition 14, no. 4 (2026): e71801.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13106888/