Research Description
Healthy eating plays an important role in the health of people with type 2 diabetes (PwT2D). However, many PwT2D report that choosing foods to help manage their diabetes is difficult. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a device that can measure a person’s glucose every one to five minutes. CGM works by placing a temporary sensor on the skin and sending readings to a device like a phone or receiver. A person using CGM can look at their glucose levels many times a day without sticking their finger, this means the person is able to see how various foods and behaviors affect their glucose with little inconvenience or pain. Research suggests that using CGM can help people with diabetes improve their diabetes management and improve their glucose levels. The purpose of the proposed project is to create a simple, first-of-its-kind, educational tool that can help PwT2D learn how to use CGM and make healthy changes to the foods they eat. The approach will help guide the CGM user toward what to eat to bring their glucose into a target range (70-180 mg/dL). It will help the CGM user identify a personalized eating plan that is good for their overall health while also matching their personal preferences. The approach will be designed with input from nutritionists, educators, doctors, and PwT2D. It will be tested in a clinical research study to see if it improves glucose levels, healthy eating, and the way PwT2D feel about managing their diabetes more than a standard approach.Research Profile
What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?This project covers research on the role of nutrition and technology to aid in treating adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This project plays a role in furthering our understanding of how to treat adults with T2D using behavioral approaches alongside of technology. The project aims to test whether or not there is benefit to using a nutrition-focused approach when teaching someone to use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?Many people with T2D report that choosing what foods to eat to help manage their diabetes is difficult. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a device that can measure a person’s glucose every one to five minutes without fingersticks. A person using a CGM can look at their glucose many times a day and is able to see how different foods and behaviors affect their glucose. This project aims to create a simple, first-of-its-kind, educational approach that we hope helps people with T2D learn how to use their CGM and make healthy changes to the foods they eat. Ideally, the approach will help guide people on what to eat to bring their glucose into a target range (70-180 mg/dL) and will help them identify a personalized eating plan that is good for their overall health and matches their personal preferences.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?I am involved in diabetes research for several reasons. First, as a long-time dietitian, I have seen the important role nutrition can play in diabetes care and management, and I also know how challenging it can be for people to figure out what to eat to achieve their glycemic goals. I am passionate about trying to make the process of knowing what to eat easier and more personalized for people with diabetes. I am also fascinated by the way diabetes technology is evolving and I want to be part of finding ways to help people use technology to their advantage. Also, diabetes has affected some of my family members and I love knowing that I can play a role in contributing to better treatments for people with diabetes in the future. This award plays an important role in my research efforts. I can confidently say that I expect to finish my career participating in research that leads to practical, effective nutrition interventions for people with diabetes. I am specifically interested in helping people with diabetes use CGM (and associated technology) to modify their eating behaviors in a way that improves their glucose and their overall health. I can envision my work contributing to the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes and I see myself as a dietitian-trained leader in diabetes research who encourages more RDNs (registered dietitian nutritionists) and CDCES’ (certified diabetes care and education specialists) to engage in research. This award lays the foundation for my journey, and I look forward to being able to say I got my start because of an ADA Junior Faculty Development Award opportunity.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?I see the future of diabetes research building on the amazing research that has been conducted over the last several decades; I also see it evolving to include more emphasis on personalized care. For example, when it comes to nutrition, I see research opportunities that will explore more individualized guidance with aims to achieve not only glycemic and health-related goals, but also aims to account for personal factors like, culture, budget, and taste pallet. I envision more focus on the importance of studying patient-reported outcomes and evaluating how the person with diabetes feels about their treatment and their ability to manage their disease. I am also certain that future diabetes research will keep sharp attention on equity of care and evaluating care options to ensure they are accessible to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, etc.