I know a number of us on the forum still report to Zoe and make use of some their other work and research. I thought this article made interesting reading.
BBC News - Doctors question science behind blood sugar diet trendbbc.co.uk/news/health-68452019
Hmmm - usual mainstream medicine reaction if you ask me! They didn't like the Newcastle diet either at first.
it seems to be a lot about people who are not diabetic using CGMs. I know they are helpful to diabetics. A lot of fuss about nothing to me
yes there’s always another research team prepared to knock you down ! However I have wondered about the ‘problem’ with sugar spikes if you have a healthy diet and are healthy. I mean take porridge for example, blacklisted by the prof himself for a sugar spike. There was me thinking that porridge mopped up cholesterol and was full of fibre. And a friend of mine who had been telling me about the benefits of 2 dates at breakfast in terms of magnesium has now stopped eating them altogether because of a reported sugar spike. Shes the size of a whippet with no health issues. So I think that’s a bit obsessive. Likewise brown toast and homemade Seville marmalade at the weekend is on the no no list. But there’s lots of good stuff to consider on Zoe such as diversity of plant foods ( 30 a week ✔️) , avoiding UPFs and balance. I do think there is merit in considering the gut biome with regards to autoimmune disease too. After listening to my friends and looking at their graphs , I decided against paying the £300 for the tests though. I just eat more nuts !
But that is the point - the monitor shows the individual response to various foods. Some people are fine with porridge, others aren't.
I’ve looked at a lot of individual results and there are similarities. I’m sure there are differences too. I feel I’ve extrapolated what I need to know.
He (the prof) actually found that oats caused him to have a big spike but they didn’t affect his wife at all. I have a diabetic friend who copes very well with oats/porridge whereas his diabetic daughter gets a massive spike with them. It really is about individual responses and the Zoe programme is very clear about that.
Good to know
I feel I should expand on my earlier comment in case it was misunderstood. The critics of Zoe point out that there may be nothing wrong with eg Prof Spector’s sugar spike re porridge if he is not diabetic. There isn’t enough research yet to say and I think they may have a point there because this information may be misinterpreted by some. So my very slim friend is now cutting out all foods which may give her a sugar spike which includes most fruit and as far as I can see all carbs including all types of bread and pasta. Her diet is now much more restricted, whole food groups have been cut out and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. In fact I’m sure that’s not what Zoe intended. Yes we are all different and with individual ideas. So if we meet for lunch she ll probably have scrambled eggs and smoked salmon ( because it’s mostly protein and she thinks you can’t get fat on protein ) and I might have a salad or avocado on sourdough with chilli, lime and coriander ( and I’m thrilled because it’s food that I like but it’s also already 4 items of plant food but possibly calorific! ). I’m unlikely to eat her food choice because it’s all animal protein and no plant. She’s a bit underweight but with no apparent health issues and I’m still a bit overweight !! 🙃
Science does change its mind and I think Prof S is probably right when he says that everything we’ve been told previously about food and dieting is probably wrong! Calorie counting for example where some people might have eaten a low fat banana muffin if it had fewer calories than a banana ! At one time it was thought that breakfast was king. Start the day with something nutritious. Now many people try and skip breakfast altogether or at least delay it to have a longer period of fasting within 24 hours .
But back to Prof Spector, I do think he should be applauded for his work on nutrition. I think there’s probably more good things to come from his research. Several people on here have already said it has helped which can be no bad thing. Just that some of the general public may still get it wrong
Not just members of the general public!! What amuses me about Tim Spector is his surprise at things I have known most of my adult life because of being a biological scientist and reading widely ...
Maybe he’s also known many of these things for years but no one listened. Now he has an audience, podcasts and the time is right.
Yes indeed I’m sure. Can be surprising. But I’m often surprised at things that bright friends say who have studied languages and no science. Eg I won’t get hearing aids until I really really need them because I don’t want to rely on them like I do with my reading glasses ..
I’m getting some this week and I can’t wait ! I don’t want to risk dementia or annoying the kids with the TV turned up too loud ! Besides I’ll be able to listen in to everyone’s conversations now !
Yes - the idea you rely on specs being a bad thing is really mindboggling! And poor hearing is a risk factor for dementia - despite your language skills ...
I think that one of the things that comes out of everything that we post on this forum is that we are all individuals and all different. Yes, I report on my health everyday to Zoe, which is a throw back to Covid, easy and quick to do and "might" help with something thing along the line. I don't take part in any other of their activities. Since having PMR I take my BS once a week just to keep an eye on what is happening, only a snapshot, but keeps me and the doc happy, it rarely goes above 6, but recently went down to 3,2 which, combined with other things happening meant I had a problem which I sorted. (earlier post). I've never changed much about my diet and don't worry too much about what I eat, regularly have porridge and blueberries for breakfast, also love dates, and my Hba1c has dropped every year I've been on Pred (think it's 34 at the moment) , my weight has stayed roughly the same around 71/2kg's. Blood test results all good other than the high Cortisol levels a few weeks ago (earlier post) which now seem to back to normal. We are all different, am I very different, is there a difference between male and female, do we worry too much about early research and get taken in by "fad" ideas??? No idea.
Hi Bcol. My wife and I have both been through the ZOE experience and have learnt that our gut microbiome and responses to various carbs and fats are as different as our personalities!From what I heard on BBC radio 4's Today programme, the diabetes medics have got the wrong end of the stick where ZOE is concerned. You just wear a CGM for a short while as a tool for educational purposes, not to monitor diabetes.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, things quickly spiral out of control via social media and this is where messages are likely to be blurred and vulnerable people used. ZOE specifically mentions that their programme is not for people with eating disorders and the use of CGMs is purely for research purposes. They, like many others, want your data!
OP 🙃
"From what I heard on BBC radio 4's Today programme, the diabetes medics have got the wrong end of the stick where ZOE is concerned"
I agree - same as with other approaches to diabetes. There are still HCPs who tells diabetics they "must" eat bread or other carbs - why? SHows a lack of awareness of physiology and more recent findings ...
I have been following Zoe for over a year. It's a life way of eating now and it has kept my weight down and stable. I read the article. There will always be alternative views on everything. I found the 2 week monitoring ( which is all we're talking about) enlightening and interesting. I have also been following Jessie Inchaushpé's glucose goddess. I see it as a good thing for people to take responsibility for their own health and take preventative measures before it's too late. Most research is funded by big pharma and the more we can do to help projects like Zoe with their research the better.
"Most research is funded by big pharma" - who are busy looking for every reason under the sun to flog more of their diabetes products for weight loss and heart disease ...
As a Type 1 diabetic of 30+ years, I'm fortunate that my CGM (and insulin pump) are funded by the NHS. Certainly my reaction to a particular foodstuff will be different to the next person, but my own reaction varies from day to day as there are multiple things that affect one's blood glucose, not just food. I've read up to 46 factors! Not sure that a fortnight's testing is enough to get a full picture really.
It’s not meant to be a full picture. It’s just meant to provide an indication of how certain foods can affect you. They provide lots of ‘exercises' you can try (e.g. taking the same meal but at different times of day, having the same meal but reheated on the second day, having the same meal but once with exercise afterwards and once without, or swapping out one ingredient etc etc - there are lots and lots of variations which you pick according to your lifestyle and food preferences). You take as much or as little from it as you like and the CGM is only a small part of the whole programme. As OldPenny said it’s a tool for educational purposes only.
it’s a tool. Mine has been brilliant in that I’ve managed to get my diabetes within normal levels thanks to the CGM. Again, Zoe is a tool albeit a rather pricey one!
I bought a Libre Freestyle 2 sensor about £50 for two weeks. It gave me useful information to understand why I am pre diabetic having never been overweight.
Interesting but I do wonder if it will feed the anxiety of the worried well! My daughter had her pancreas removed at birth, used insulin from 9 years old and now at 38 wears an insulin pump and uses the disc and iPhone to alert her re blood sugars. It would have been useful as a baby and child instead of having to prick her to test her 1000’s of times literally.
The systems were originally for diabetics and I see it that the companies are just expanding their markets. A simple finger prick system for those on weekly checks (and I know PMR can cause diabetes) should cover most. It probably has its place but we all know eating sweeter food results in higher blood sugar temporarily. In my 30 odd years of trying at assimilate as much information re foods and their responses for my then child I can see there may be individual cases where it could help but is an expensive “gadget” unless necessary. I’ll be watching to see where this goes.
The random isolated finger prick tells us nothing - pred causes the random release of glucose from body stores in muscle and liver so a badly timed one-off measurement could say you are diabetic when in fact overall there is little to worry about.
Blood Tests to monitor PMR?
home blood pressure monitor please
blood sugar and prednisalone 
Steroids and raised blood sugars
Prednisone and Blood Sugar Levels
