EFFECT OF FASTED OR HIGH CARBOHYDRATE INGESTION ON BLOOD GLUCOSE PRE- AND POST RUN MEASURED BY CONTINIUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING

BACKGROUND: As technology advances, simpler means of regulating and tracking measures of health have become more readily available; one such means is continuous glucose monitoring. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices are becoming more popular as a simple method of tracking blood sugar in people with diabetes. However, the utility of these devices may extend further than just diabetes regulation. CGM devices are simple to use and provide very little discomfort to the individual utilizing them. Because of the ease of use, it is an ideal way for athletes to measure their blood glucose levels during training. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report the blood glucose levels of endurance athletes in a fasted (FAS) state and a high carbohydrate (CHO) fed state. METHODS: A sample of 5 recreationally fit men (age 45.2 ± 6.5) wore the Libre™ Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) and ran 8-10 miles at a tempo pace supervised by researcher on 4 separate days. On two of the day’s subjects were instructed to arrive in a fasted state and on the other two days they were asked to eat a high CHO snack an hour before the run. Via the LibreLinkUp™ software and Strava™ the researcher was able to monitor the subjects blood sugar and pace during the study period. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-blood glucose levels (89.3 mg/dL vs 96.7 mg/dL, p = .40) in the fasted state. There were significant differences between the pre-and post-blood glucose levels (88.4 mg/dL vs 106.3 mg/dL, p = .00) in the high CHO fed state. CONCLUSIONS: The use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) shows promise for use in recreationally fit individuals as a coaching tool for advising the athletes the optimum pre-run snack and offers a way of establishing a guideline for individual athletes. Additionally, the use of CGM is a way to provide real time data to athletes who are experiencing fatigue during training runs to individualize their nutrition.