FIVE EXTRA HEALTHY HOURS A DAY: Major Trial Shows Glucose Monitors Help People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Don’t Use Insulin
For years, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has been standard for people with type 2 diabetes who take insulin. Now a large trial suggests the small sensors can also make a big difference for the many people who do not.
The randomized trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and announced by the University of Colorado Anschutz on 14 October, found that CGM users spent about five more hours a day in their target blood sugar range.
The key results
- About five extra hours a day in the target range, compared with routine care.
- Nearly twice as many CGM users reached an A1c below 7%, a common treatment goal.
- 283 adults, 22 US primary care practices, followed for 26 weeks.
According to the researchers, it is the first large, multicenter randomized controlled trial to test CGMs in adults with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin.
What a CGM does
A CGM is a small sensor, usually worn on the upper arm or belly, that reads glucose levels around the clock and sends them to a phone or reader. Instead of a single finger-prick number, people see how their blood sugar moves after meals, exercise and sleep, and can adjust in real time.
Why primary care matters
Most people with type 2 diabetes are treated by family doctors, not specialists. Running the trial in primary care practices, led by researchers including Dr Tamara Oser of CU Anschutz, means the results reflect where care actually happens.
What could change
The researchers say the findings could strengthen diabetes care guidelines and help expand insurance coverage for CGMs, which has often been limited to people using insulin.
As always, anyone with diabetes should talk to their doctor before changing how they manage it. More in our Health section.
Source: CU Anschutz News, 14 October 2026; New England Journal of Medicine.
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