meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Peter Attia Drive

#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

Peter Attia, MD

Health & Fitness, Medicine, Fitness

4.77.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 June 2021

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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.

If you’re not a subscriber and listening on a podcast player, you’ll only be able to hear a preview of the AMA. If you’re a subscriber, you can now listen to this full episode on your private RSS feed or on our website at the AMA #24 show notes page. If you are not a subscriber, you can learn more about the subscriber benefits here.

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.

Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/

Show notes page for this episode: https://peterattiamd.com/ama24/

Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/

Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/

Connect with Peter on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey everyone, welcome to a sneak peek, ask me anything, or AMA episode of the Drive Podcast.

0:16.5

I'm your host, Peter Atia.

0:18.3

At the end of this short episode, I'll explain how you can access the AMA episodes in full,

0:22.9

along with a ton of other membership benefits we've created.

0:25.9

Before you can learn more now by going to peteratia-md.com forward slash subscribe.

0:31.5

So without further delay, here's today's sneak peek of the Ask Me Anything episode.

0:36.6

Hey everyone, welcome to AMA number 24.

0:44.3

In this episode, I am joined as usual by Bob Kaplan, and we devote the entire episode

0:50.3

to a series of questions that focus around glucose homeostasis.

0:54.6

We send with the discussion basically around the idea of why one would wear a CGM, especially

0:59.8

someone who does not have type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes, and we get into the really

1:04.8

deep nitty gritty around what is it about glucose that matters so much with respect to

1:10.3

health?

1:11.3

Why is it that I make such a stink about having lower average blood glucose, fewer peaks

1:16.6

of glucose, less glucose variability, and all of the associated things that go with it.

1:21.3

So hope you'll check out AMA number 24, and without further delay, here it is.

1:28.3

Hello peter.

1:32.3

Hey Bob.

1:33.3

How's it going?

1:34.3

It's going well man.

1:36.5

Ready for an AMA?

1:38.3

Ready as always.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Peter Attia, MD, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Peter Attia, MD and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.