Who Should Track Their Blood Sugar?

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Prediabetes is common in the U.S. — around 1 in 3 people have it. And many people may not know they have it. But last year, the FDA approved the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor. Since then, more people without diabetes have started checking their blood glucose levels. Diabetologist and University of California, San Francisco professor of medicine Dr. Sarah Kim shares the science behind blood glucose with host Emily Kwong.

Check out more of NPR’s coverage about continuous glucose monitors.

Interested in more science of the human body? Email us your question at [email protected].

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message come from Yarl and Pamela Mone, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.
0:10.2	Hello there, shortwivers. Emily Kwong here with a quick word before the show. So this week is Giving Tuesday. That is the global day of generosity that NPR celebrates every year, but this year is different
0:22.1	because it is the first time in 50 years that NPR is operating without federal funding.
0:28.8	That is a huge deal and a big challenge, but it is one that we can take on together.
0:35.3	At shortwave, we bring you science coverage that is fun,
0:39.2	human, that introduces you to new ideas, amazing discoveries, and everyday mysteries.
0:44.2	That helps you feel a little more connected to this planet and the people we share it with.
0:49.8	We know all of this matters to you, and that is why some of you have already stepped up to share in the cost of bringing you shortwave each week.
0:58.0	Like our listener, Catherine in Minnesota, who says, I love shortwave and how they make science updates easy to understand and fun.
1:05.1	Catherine, you get us. We get you. Thank you so much. And if you have also stepped up to support NPR this year,
1:12.9	please accept our gratitude. If you haven't, please do it now. Mark Giving Tuesday by signing up
1:19.4	for NPR Plus. It's a simple recurring donation that gets you perks to NPR's podcasts. Join us at
1:26.7	plus.mpr.org.
1:28.4	Thank you again for your support.
1:29.9	All right.
1:30.3	Let's get on to the show.
1:31.8	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
1:37.2	Tis the season of eating.
1:41.9	I'm joined by health correspondent Ping Wong. Hey, Ping. Hey, Emily. We want to invite you on the show to talk about your experience with a continuous glucose monitor, a CGM. What prompted you to start wearing one?
1:55.5	Yeah. So I've been pre-diabetic for a few years now, like on and off. And most recently, it's been mostly on.
2:02.5	And I saw that they got approved for overly counter-use last year. So a few months ago, I decided to try one.
2:08.1	Yeah, and I know that prediabetes is really common in the U.S. Around one in three adults have it, but not everybody knows their pre-diabetic.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

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

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