It can be hard to know what people outside of an organization know and think about the organization, so we thought we would clear some things up.
Our Impact Extends Beyond Endurance Sport Professionals
Yes, we have been used a lot in triathlons, running and cycling. We’ve been used quite a bit in running too, having athletes using Supersapiens set records in the marathon, and win many trail running races. But we are also used at the highest level in other sports as illustrated by inclusion in the NBA Launchpad program. Additionally we have been used in:
We also have many users who are less competitively active.
Supersapiens, using the Abbott Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, like other continuous glucose monitors on the market, does NOT measure BLOOD glucose.
It measures interstitial glucose. There is much discussion and debate about the relevance of this measure compared to blood glucose, and we welcome the discussion. Some suggest this is more relevant to exercise than blood glucose given it changes before blood glucose does.
The elephant in the room with respect to these discussions is resolution.
Continuous, minute by minute glucose measures are unbelievably different to less frequent measures. A crude simile may be heart rate, where taking a single data point every 15 minutes or even an average of the 15 minutes and using it as a data point clearly misses the resolution required to be of use.
The below data show the nature of minute by minute glucose data in response to workload (visualized by heart rate in this case). Of note is the fluctuation in glucose and its frequency; the total session length here is less than 60 mins.
We integrate!
Below is the current list of services Supersapiens integrates with (some of which can even display live glucose).
With more in the pipeline.
And don’t forget the Supersapiens Dashboard which allows overlaying of glucose data and performance data if you have a Training Peaks Premium Account.
People of are Using Supersapiens to Improve Body Composition
Feedback is Undeniably Powerful: ask any teacher or coach and they will tell you that the power of feedback is crucial in the learning and improvement process. This is the power of glucose.
The line between moderation and excess is much harder to discern than most would have you believe. Having a method with which to gain feedback on nutritional intake is paramount and whilst glucose is only a small factor in a whole diet it packs an informational punch.
In the case of body composition improvement, the power of real-time glucose feedback for something like ultra-processed foods is significant. Understanding the impact of specific foods can drive glucose stability which, early research suggests, may decrease hunger. These are just two potential drivers for improvements in body composition that many Supersapiens have reported.
People Are Using Supersapiens to Combat Underfueling and Difficult Relationships with Food
It is no secret that fixation on diet can become an unhealthy obsession. That said, data need not drive this, context matters.
Athletes are finding that glucose is a metric that aids them prevent underfueling as an early sign of potential mismatch between work and fuel.
Similarly, some athletes are using CGM in their recovery from eating disorders and difficult relationships with food as discussed further here.
Supersapiens is Science Based and Supporting Research
As a company we are working very hard to support research and researchers, some output from this is already available here and here, whilst much much more is ongoing (20+ studies). We discussed some of this in some of our podcast episodes, here and here. We are also working hard to publish data on CGM in athletes without diabetes to help the scientific field for all CGM users.
This passion for science extends to our product development which is founded in science and our marketing which is heavily focused on scientific integrity.
References
- Siegmund T, Heinemann L, Kolassa R, Thomas A. Discrepancies Between Blood Glucose and Interstitial Glucose-Technological Artifacts or Physiology: Implications for Selection of the Appropriate Therapeutic Target. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2017 Jul;11(4):766-772. doi: 10.1177/1932296817699637. Epub 2017 Mar 21. PMID: 28322063; PMCID: PMC5588840.
