For the hundreds of millions managing diabetes, food is more than just fuel—it’s a direct influence on blood sugar. But how do different meals shape glucose responses, and what’s the secret to keeping your levels steady? By diving into real-world data from Dexcom wearers, we uncover surprising patterns in how different types of food affect blood sugar, offering insights that could change how you think about every single meal.
Every meal triggers metabolic responses that affect glucose levels, with lasting health effects. Our project uses food logs and Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data to track glucose levels every five minutes, identifying patterns in response to different meals.
We aim to uncover how the timing, type, and composition of meals affect glucose fluctuations and provide insights into managing blood sugar. By mapping glucose changes to meals—whether high in carbs, protein, or fats—we can visualize the impact of each on glucose stability.
The graph below shows glucose fluctuations for several individuals across 1-2 weeks, with meal events marked on the timeline. Some meals cause sharp spikes, while others have more gradual or stable effects, highlighting the importance of meal timing and composition in managing glucose levels.
Explore the visualization below to see how meals impact blood sugar and gain insights for better glucose control.
You can change datasets with the dropdown to explore differnt people's glucose as well as reset the zoom when needed. Also try hovering over meal events for some more insights!
For instance, despite having more carbs and sugars than Cornflakes, a Granola Bar raises glucose less and slower; likely due to its increased protein content. This also highlights how late-night meals keep glucose elevated for longer than earlier ones, indicated by Cornflakes relative steep dropoff as opposed to the Granola Bar. You can check Dataset 4 from Thu 05 to Fri 06 to see this!
Now that we've seen how glucose fluctuates throughout the day for different individuals, let’s dive deeper into the impact of specific meals. In this next visualization, we shift our focus from overall trends to individual food types, particularly those rich in carbohydrates and sugars, which are known to influence glucose levels significantly.
This chart helps highlight the importance of food choices in managing diabetes and glucose regulation.
You can explore the visualization by toggling between Top Carb and Top Sugars, and then manually selecting specific foods from the dropdown. After selecting the foods you want, update the chart and reset to try different combinations!
From the radar chart, we gained insights into how the foods with the highest Total Carbs and Sugar impact glucose spikes. However, while the radar chart is great for comparing individual foods, it does not provide a broader perspective on how different food compositions contribute to overall glucose spike distributions.
To bridge this gap, we introduced the histogram, which aggregates maximum glucose change across different nutrient combinations. This enables us to observe general trends and compare multiple categories simultaneously. Users can select specific levels of Total Carbs, Sugar, and Protein by clicking on the corresponding buttons to toggle between high, low and all values (determined from median). To further enhance exploration, the Every Combination button animates the histogram, sequentially displaying all possible nutrient combinations. If needed, users can pause the animation at any time or reset the selection to return to the initial state. This interactive functionality provides a comprehensive view of glucose variability across different dietary compositions. Make sure to click "Every Combination" to populate the remaining visualizations!
The Maximum Glucose Change Histogram categorizes meals based on their macronutrient composition—carbohydrates, sugar, fat, and protein—and visualizes the distribution of glucose spikes that follow within two hours of eating. Each bar in the histogram represents the frequency of meals that caused a certain level of glucose increase, allowing us to see how different types of meals impact blood sugar levels.
To summarize this data, the Mean Glucose Spike Bar Chart condenses the histogram’s information by displaying the average glucose response for each meal category. Instead of showing individual data points, the bar chart highlights the overall trend, making it easier to compare how different meal compositions affect blood sugar levels.
The colors in the bar chart provide further insight:
By deriving the bar chart from the histogram, we move from granular meal-level data to a broader summary, helping us quickly identify which meal types are better for glucose stability.
After categorizing meals by their glucose impact, we now examine how blood sugar changes over time for each category. The Glucose Trends Over 2 Hours motion chart dynamically visualizes the average glucose response for low, medium, and high spike foods across a two-hour window post-meal.
Each line in the chart represents one of the three previously declared categories. This visualization builds upon our previous insights. The Mean Glucose Spike Bar Chart summarized glucose responses by meal category, and now, the motion chart extends this understanding by mapping how glucose levels evolve over time for each category.
By transitioning to this time-based view, we can observe how different meal compositions influence glucose stability beyond just the initial spike, offering a clearer picture of which foods promote sustained, healthy glucose levels.
Now that we've explored each visualization individually, you can analyze them side by side. This section allows you to simultaneously compare the histogram, the mean glucose spike bar chart, and the motion chart.
Through a series of visualizations, we've uncovered key insights into how different meal compositions affect glucose levels over time. From tracking individual glucose fluctuations to categorizing meals by their macronutrient profiles, our analysis reveals actionable strategies for maintaining stable blood sugar levels.
Our interactive visualizations take you through a step-by-step exploration of glucose responses:
Together, these visualizations tell a compelling story: the food we eat directly shapes our glucose stability, and making informed dietary choices can lead to better blood sugar control.
Managing glucose is not just about avoiding sugar—it’s about making smart dietary choices that promote stability and long-term health. Our analysis underscores the importance of protein-rich meals, lower carbohydrate intake, and eating earlier in the dayas effective strategies for minimizing blood sugar fluctuations.
Ultimately, our findings highlight a crucial takeaway: Being mindful of macronutrient composition and meal timing empowers individuals to optimize glucose control. By reducing large glucose spikes, people can enhance metabolic stability and lower long-term health risks.
Through these insights, we hope to encourage better eating habits and more informed food choices that contribute to sustained energy and overall well-being.