Self-Monitoring Not Helpful for Type 2 Diabetes

Too stupid not to overeat. Possibly too stupid to self-monitor.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) has very little effect on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin. In a review of data from 9 trials of SMBG involving 2324 participants, any effect on HbA1c levels was found to occur only in the first 6 months, during which time the HbA1c level decreased by 0.26% (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.39 to -0.13). Data from 2 trials involving 493 participants showed that the effect of SMBG was no longer significant at 12 months follow-up, with a decrease in HbA1c levels of 0.1% (95% CI, -0.3 to 0.04).

Uriell L. Malanda, MD, and colleagues from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam reviewed 12 studies involving 3259 patients with diabetes who are not insulin-dependent. The results are published in the latest issue of the Cochrane Library. "Regular self-monitoring of blood glucose in non-insulin-treated patients has minimal impact on glycemic control, has no impact on general well-being or quality of life, and is rather expensive," Dr. Malanda explained in a press release. "Consequently, it does not add to a clinically relevant long-term benefit."

The rest of us should stop being so stupid and refuse to pay for fat people's illnesses of choice.