Use of a real time continuous glucose monitoring system as a motivational device for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes

Objective: The use of a real time continuous glucose monitoring system (RT-CGM) was studied as a behavior modification tool and the effectiveness of a RT-CGM in glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes was determined. Methods: We conducted a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial in 65 patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (8.0 ≤ HbA1c ≤ 10%) over a 3-month period. The intervention group was monitored monthly with a RT-CGM (three days at a time for 3 months) and the control group continued self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) at least four times a week for 3 months. Results: The HbA1c of the RT-CGM group was significantly reduced after 12 weeks compared with the SMBG group (9.1 ± 1.0% to 8.0 ± 1.2% vs. 8.7 ± 0.7% to 8.3 ± 1.1%, respectively; P = 0.004). In the RT-CGM group, there was a significant reduction in total daily calorie intake, weight, body mass index (BMI), and postprandial glucose level, and a significant increase in total exercise time per week after 3 months. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the RT-CGM was useful in modifying a patient's diet and exercise habits and could induce better glycemic control than SMBG for patients with type 2 diabetes.