Beginner’s guide to the Ultrahuman M1: Part 1

Metabolic health can be defined as the body’s ability to use food efficiently for fueling, growth and repair, as well as storing energy for periods of lesser availability of food.

Metabolism is the process by which your body uses food to carry out the above activities. Being aware of how these processes work for each person in their bodies can provide an insight into how food, exercise and sleep affect one’s health and longevity

Blood glucose commonly referred to as blood sugar, is the fuel that keeps the engines in our body running at an optimal level. Glucose is a form of sugar which we obtain from carbohydrates and fats to fuel our bodies.

Glucose gets processed in our bodies multiple times in a day and there are certain foods which can cause frequent glucose spikes in the body thereby leading to poor metabolic health.

Poor metabolic health can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, fatty liver disease, gallstones, PCOS, sleep apnea, gout and more.

The key biomarkers of metabolic health one should track are blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, free fatty acids, oxidative stress, gut health, blood pressure, sleep, triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels.

What if we told you that it’s possible to quantify your metabolic health with a score? A continuous glucose monitor that helps you track your blood glucose in real time can yield this figure. The Ultrahuman M1 provides a metabolic score. Let’s understand how it reflects your metabolic health.

Highlights

Metabolic health is a predictor of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, fatty liver disease, gallstones, PCOS, sleep apnea, gout and more,
Blood glucose is intimately tied to metabolic health. The key determinants of this metric include glucose variability, average glucose score and time in target range,
The Ultrahuman M1 helps you monitor your blood sugar levels to optimise your metabolic health. It’s possible to quantify your metabolic health with a metabolic score. The key determinants of this metric include glucose variability, average glucose score and time in target range.

How to Apply Ultrahuman M1 CGM Sensor on your Arm and Know How it Works?

Decoding the metabolic score

A metabolic score is an indicator of overall metabolic health. It is calculated on the basis of glucose variability, average glucose as well as time in target metrics and ranges from 0-100.

Your score gets activated within an hour of scanning and applying the sensor and it can slightly vary in the first 24 hours of usage as the sensor calibrates with your body.

The scores get reset to 100 at midnight and based on your activities such as exercise, eating, stress, sleep and your body’s response to these activities- your score increases or decreases accordingly through the day.

The goal is to obtain a maximum score and the key is to maintain glucose levels within the recommended range of 70-100 mg/dl. Let’s understand its determinants.

Key Factors that drive the Metabolic Score

1. Glucose Variability

Glucose Variability can be defined as the fluctuations in your glucose levels throughout the day. It is important to maintain a low glucose variability, ideally below 12% to ensure there is less oxidative stress on your body.

Oxidative stress paves the way for cellular damage in the body and causes neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, hypertension and more.

Maintaining stable glucose levels can help one maintain improved energy levels and cognitive performance throughout the day. Research has identified glucose variability as a predictor of hypoglycemia and has been found to be related to intensive care unit mortality in non-diabetic individuals.

Blood glucose levels change throughout the day. It is the degree of fluctuation in glucose that determines a good score.

2. Glucose Spikes

When blood glucose levels rise beyond the upper limit range, glucose spikes can occur.

Glucose spikes beyond 120 mg/dl can cause hyperglycemic events in the body. Frequent hyperglycemia can eventually lead to metabolic dysfunction. Studies have shown that high blood glucose variability can accelerate the process of ageing.

Glucose spikes can also occur during exercise however these are considered healthy. During intense exercise bouts gluconeogenesis can occur due to the breakdown of muscle protein – especially during the absence of carbohydrates.

Hyperglycemia can prevent healing, elevate the risk of infections, heart attacks and strokes and cause irreversible damage to the nerves, blood vessels and organs such as eyes and kidneys and Increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Postprandial or post-meal blood sugar levels exceeding the ideal range can lead to prediabetes or diabetes.

3. Glucose Crashes

A drop in blood glucose levels in the body is referred to as hypoglycemia. During such an episode, there is excess production of insulin in the body, causing the cells to absorb more blood glucose than is required to maintain the optimal level. It is marked by a blood glucose level below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Some symptoms include tiredness, shakiness, anxiety, sweating, hunger, irritability, fast heartbeat, pale skin, hunger etc.

4. Average Glucose Score

Another parameter which is measured by Ultrahuman M1 and which we need to optimise is our HbA1c levels also known as glycated haemoglobin.

It is a measure of your average blood glucose level over the last 2-3 months, since red blood cells live for an average of 3 months, glycated haemoglobin reflects sugar exposure to the cells over a similar time range.

HbA1c is made when the glucose in your body sticks to your red blood cells. It accumulates over time and melds with your blood when your cells can’t absorb the sugar well.

According to the American Diabetes Association, the normal range of Hba1c is between 4% to 5.6%. A range of 5.7% to 6.4% could indicate that you are pre-diabetic and susceptible to diabetes, in which case you should consult a doctor. 6.5% or higher indicates that you may have diabetes and should visit a doctor for consultation.

Ultrahuman M1 uses average glucose data points to calculate your estimated HbA1c. The average glucose is calculated from the point of scanning the sensor till midnight at 12:00 am.

So if you scan your sensor at 1:00 pm, your average glucose levels will be the average of all glucose levels from 12:00 AM to 1:00 PM on the same day. The ideal recommended range is 70-100 mg/dl

What causes variations in average glucose scores?

There are multiple factors that cause fluctuations in your average glucose score

Lack of sufficient sleep can cause a higher than normal rise in glucose levels after eating meals the next day. Since a consistent lack of sleep raises blood sugar levels beyond normal, this eventually may lead to metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.
The sympathetic nervous system regulates the body’s response to danger. Stress evokes the sympathetic nervous system thereby producing Cortisol, the body’s natural alarm system. It increases glucose levels for an immediate energy source, inhibiting sensitivity to insulin production. Over time chronic stress and chronically elevated glucose levels impair insulin sensitivity.
A lack of exercise causes fluctuations in glucose levels as your muscles are contracted during exercise and these muscles tap into glucose stores for release of energy. Exercise stimulates insulin to use glucose efficiently before and after a workout.
Foods with a high GI index such as simple sugars, can cause major spikes in blood glucose levels. Ensure that you are eating foods with a low GI index to avoid any excess spikes and subsequent crashes in blood glucose. The device will show you how your blood glucose rises or falls in response to certain foods.
Alcohol can suppress glucose response. Your sensor may show a stable glucose response while drinking, however as the body slowly begins to absorb the sugar from the alcohol, you may witness a rise in blood sugar after a couple of hours and it can take almost 12 hours for the alcohol to be flushed out of your bloodstream.

5. Time in Target Range

The ideal range of glucose levels is 70-110 mg/dl. The goal is to stay within the target score for as long as possible to maximise your score which will improve your cognitive ability through the day. The time in the target range is the metric that measures the amount of time your blood glucose is within the recommended range.

This metric is measured as a percentage. The lower the percentage i:e the lower fluctuation out of the target range, the better your score. You should aim to keep this below 12% to reduce the amount of oxidative stress on the body. Oxidative stress disrupts the necessary oxidation process that takes place in the body. It occurs when there is an imbalance between free radical activity and antioxidant activity. These free radicals are required to fight off pathogens, which can cause infections in the body.

The HbA1c test does not account for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels) and therefore time in target remains an important metric in measuring your metabolic score.

Why is it important to have glucose in the target range?

Having your glucose level in the target range will ensure you have a good metabolic score. A good metabolic score can help you optimize your metabolic health.

The benefits of having good metabolic health

Improved cardiovascular health, mood and decrease in anxiety and depression,
Helps the body clear out of toxins and helps to detoxify our bodies,
Improved blood circulation by helping the body process nutrients more efficiently,
Increased muscle mass, bone density and overall energy levels,
Improved sexual health and fertility,
Lowered inflammation in the body, which eventually protects the body from metabolic diseases.

How to Remove Ultrahuman M1 CGM sensor ?

Three Metabolic vectors with the help of your metabolic score

Ultrahuman M1 computes metabolic vectors with the help of your metabolic score. There are 3 vectors reflected on the app and the goal is to enhance your metabolism along the different trajectories of the triangle.

1. Focus Vector

The Focus Vector is calculated on a score of 10 and is calculated during the productive time of the day – 8:00 AM- 10:00 PM, every 2 hours, totalling 7 rounds. Each round will calculate glucose spikes and crashes. The absence of glucose spikes or crashes will ensure that you score ‘10’ for that round.

Glucose spikes and crashes can cause glucose variability and if you experience either a spike or a crash you will receive a score of 5 for that round. If you get a spike and crash in the same round, your score will be 0.

Maximising the focus vector will ensure that we are most productive throughout the day and can help to avert lethargy. Understand the foods and activities causing spikes and crashes to maximise this vector.

2. Longevity Vector

The longevity vector tracks the impact of glucose variability on your longevity and helps you optimise it. It consists of 3 components:

1. Circadian Factor

The body’s natural 24-hour rhythm is called the circadian rhythm. The rhythms of our body are affected by light and darkness and are controlled by a part of the brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Our body has a stronger metabolism during the sunlight hours and is more insulin resistant at night. The circadian factor is measured in the % form and it is important to maximise this score by maintaining consistent glucose levels and avoiding spikes beyond 110 mg/dl to ensure that we are maximising longevity for our bodies.

2. Glucose Variability

Maintaining glucose variability at 12% and lower is considered ideal to reduce oxidative stress on the body and maximise longevity. This can be achieved by consuming foods that give you a stable glucose response, getting quality sleep, exercising regularly and keeping stress levels low.

3. Peaks above 120 mg/dl

Peaks above 120 mg/dl eventually culminate into poor metabolic health thereby increasing the chances of metabolic diseases. These peaks should be kept in check and one should aim to have 0 peaks above 120 mg/dl as this can trigger a hyperglycemic event.

3. Athletic Vector

Athletic Vector shows how well-fuelled you were for your workout. Being optimally fuelled for a workout is important so that you can ensure peak performance through the workout.

The human body sources energy for activities through carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates are required for higher intensity and longer duration workouts such as sprinting, HIIT or resistance training. Fats can be consumed for moderate-level activities such as walking or yoga.

Contributors to the fueling zone

Glucose Zones

Glucose zones determine your fuelling score during your workouts. Your fuelling score is dependent on the time you spend in each glucose zone.

There are 4 types of glucose zones

Underfueled- <80 mg/dl
Being under-fueled for your workout means that the availability of fuel for your body i:e glucose, is restricted. Being under fuelled will hinder your performance and may affect your brain’s optimal functioning.

Low Intensity- 80-109 mg/dl
Low intensity workouts such as walking, yoga, cycling do not require too much fuel and can be managed within this blood glucose range with moderate fueling.

High Intensity- 110-140 mg/dl
This level of fueling is ideal for activities like HIIT, Resistance Training, Sprints, CrossFit training. These activities generally require higher levels of glucose fuelling for peak performance and allows athletes to compete at their best levels.

Overfueled- >140 mg/dl
An overfueled state does not necessarily affect performance, however being in the range above 140 mg/dl can cause hyperglycemia. It is important to not be in this range for long periods as this can lead to inflammation, which is detrimental to metabolic health.

Slopes

Slopes are the trend lines of your glucose during your workout. The key is to maintain a 0% slope during your workout. Positive slopes are preferred over negative slopes, which determine lower energy and inadequate fuelling.

High quality fuelling ensures a stable glucose response throughout the workout so if you observe a negative slope ensure that you are fuelling more or better before and during your next workout.

Falls

This refers to the number of times your glucose drops by at least 10 mg/dl within 5 minutes. 1 or more falls will result in a penalty for your score.

High intensity workouts can cause rapid drops in glucose stores sometimes even below 70 mg/dl causing a hypoglycemic event. It is important to fuel efficiently before a workout to avoid falls in the workout. 0 falls is considered optimal.

4.Food Score

Food logging is a tool to help you track the food and beverages you consume in a day with the time of their intake. Logging your food intake can help you evaluate your macronutrients and micronutrients and make you mindful of your dietary patterns. Macros consist of proteins, carbohydrates and fats while micros consist of the vitamins present in the foods you eat.

Our algorithms constantly help you optimise the impact of food and drinks on your body. The food score monitors the impact of food and beverages on your blood sugar 2 hours after you have consumed them.

Certain foods react differently to people and even the timing of the day matters when eating a particular meal. One would be able to understand how food impacts blood sugar through a process of trial and error.

How do you log food in the Ultrahuman app

1. What Food you ate?

When you type in the food you eat, you would benefit from logging the specifics. Break the foods down and enter each item consumed. For instance, if you ate vegetable rice, make sure to include the names of the vegetables and the type of rice you ate. Each vegetable will translate into a different calorie count and could elicit a different glucose response. It is important to log each ingredient in to understand what is actually triggering a glucose spike if you are noticing one. You may notice that a certain type of oil is spiking your glucose levels or the quantity of rice is shooting up the blood sugar levels. Mix and match to understand the best version of the meal to stabilise your glucose levels.

2. When you ate Food?

The timing of your meal can make a significant difference in glucose reactions. For example, prior to a workout your body requires carbohydrates and fats as fuel however at lunch or dinner, your body may not require carbohydrates.

Glucose can rise in that case and cause a spike. You may find that eating a dessert after your meal may not lead to blood sugar spikes but eating a sweet breakfast may increase your blood sugar or that piece of sourdough bread may react favourably with your body prior to your workout than after it.

3. How much food you ate?

Measuring the quantity of food you eat can give you an accurate idea of your calorie count and nutrition analysis. If you eat chicken curry with rice, let’s say you eat 100 grams of chicken leg, 1 tsp groundnut oil, 200 grams bell pepper and 1 cup rice and your glucose levels are stable. Next time when the quantity of rice is 1.5 cups and your blood glucose may rise steeply.

Hence it is important to measure your food quantity to find the perfect fit for a stable glucose response. This quantity can vary based on the requirements of your body for that day. For example on days of low activity, ideally that bowl of rice should be 0.5 cups.

Food Scores

Our algorithms constantly help you optimise the impact of food and drinks on your body. Ultrahuman M1 calculates a food score based on the glucose peak (highest glucose point in the 2 hour food intake window), glucose change caused by the food and Time over the Target during the food time window.

Food scores are tracked between 0-10, a higher food score indicates that such foods are good for your metabolic health. If the food scores are between 6-8, you need to experiment with different foods or ingredients for a better metabolic score, for example an omelette with 1 tsp of oil can yield a score of 10 over one prepared with 2 tsp oil. Scores below 5 are poor metabolic scores and you will either need to change the timing of the food or probably eliminate it from your diet.

Within 2 hours of eating you will get an analysis of whether the food is in the top zone or bottom zone:

Top Zones

Foods that give you a score of 10 sit well with your body and produce a stable glucose response. However, it is important to note that the timing of such foods is also important, for example, if you eat multigrain toast and egg and work out in the morning immediately, you may get a score of 10 as your body uses the fuel for the workout.

However, if you eat the same toast and egg at midnight you are likely to score a sub-5 score as the body tends to be more resistant to insulin overnight and is metabolically more resilient during the day. Therefore it is important to track what foods are in the top zones and when is the best time to consume such foods so as to maximise your metabolic score.

A high metabolic score correlated with higher energy and productivity levels throughout your day. Getting a score of 6-8 may means that 1 or 2 ingredients in the meal are causing a fall in the overall score. For example let’s say you make a chicken salad for yourself and top it up with some mayonnaise, your score may deplete, however the quantity also matters. So, you can try to reduce the quantity to gauge the glucose response.

Bottom Zones

The bottom zone is a score that is 5 or below for certain foods. It is crucial for us to understand which foods generate poor scores in order to avoid glucose crashes and spikes that lead to an overall low metabolic score.

The trick is to identify these foods and to know at the time of the day when they were consumed. The cheesecake, for instance, may create a stable response at lunch but most probably lead to a spike at night.

Your body may not need glucose at certain points in the day so it is best to understand what kind of foods your body is accepting and at what points in the day. Food combinations can also help to avoid bottom zones. Research suggests that apple cider vinegar can lead to lower levels of post-meal glucose.

Timeline

Ultrahuman M1 lasts for a period of 2 weeks after which you have to replace the sensor with a fresh one. You will receive it based on the plan that you have subscribed for. You need to use your login id to access the data from the app. If your 2 week period expires, the next time you put on the sensor, the data is recalibrated on the 15th day of your Cyborg journey and so on. So it is important to ensure that you subscribe for a longer period so that the sensor is able to understand your body better and curate the data.

As the days progress, the sensor begins to understand your optimal glucose zones and begins to recommend the best times to workout based on your fuelling patterns. It also offers data on your pattern of average glucose – if it has been on the rise over a 3-day period and that you need to rest and recover for the day.

Just as you receive a weekly report over email for workouts, you receive a weekly report of your top zone and bottom zone foods. The data also gives information on techniques to optimise your bottom zone foods so as to avoid making the same mistakes in the next week.

And finally the most important parameter is your average weekly metabolic score which gives you a consolidated picture for the week as to how you have performed across all of your functions of nutrition, exercise and sleep.

Nudges

The Ultrahuman app consistently gives you nudges or notifications on key events of the day. The M1 live with bluetooth connectivity will give you instant updates without scanning but in case of M1 you would have to scan the sensor to receive your updates.

The Ultrahuman app gives the following updates related to the M1 sensor

Hyperglycemic events-Events which cause your blood glucose to rise above 120 mg/dl. You will receive a nudge to walk or stretch.
Glucose Crash– The app detects hypoglycemic events or incidents when your blood glucose levels plunge. It also suggests hacks to avoid crashes.
Gluconeogenesis events– These spikes occur due to workouts, they are healthy for you and help to improve your metabolic score.
Ideal Glucose Range– The app nudges you to remind you that you are having a great day and that your glucose levels are in an ideal range. If you feel good and are working at peak productivity levels then it is possible that you are within the recommended glucose range.
Epic Starts to the day– It is important to avoid spikes and crashes early in the day during when our bodies are metabolically at their most resilient state. Ultrahuman M1 motivates you to stay on track by offering information.
Primed for activity– The app sends you a notification when your glucose levels are within an ideal range for physical activity or a workout to ensure that you can crush that activity at peak performance levels.
Nocturnal activity– The app measures your glucose levels overnight and updates you on the quality of your glycemic control. Good glucose control occurs with a healthy diet, good sleep, consistent meal times and well-managed levels of stress.

We got you covered more about How Ultrahuman App will notify you & guide you in removing M1 CGM Safely.

Coaches

New Ultrahuman M1 users may be overwhelmed at the start. When they are unable to navigate the data that the tracker is offering through the app, a personalised performance coach serves as a beacon of light. These coaches are experts in the field of nutrition and fitness and are there to help you interpret the data

Even experts in the field of exercise and nutrition may have queries about their individualised glucose responses to food and exercise.

The app offers more than 200+ curated sleep sessions, workouts and guided meditations from the top experts, scientists and athletes. It’s also equipped with guided nutrition plans by coaches. Know how much Ultrahuman M1 costs and Other pricing details.

Conclusion

Poor metabolic health is a predictor of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, fatty liver disease, gallstones, PCOS, sleep apnea, gout and more. Blood glucose is intimately tied to metabolic health. Ultrahuman M1 helps you monitor your blood sugar levels to optimise your metabolic health. It’s possible to quantify your metabolic health with a metabolic score. The key determinants of this metric include glucose variability, average glucose score and time in target range.

Ultrahuman M1 computes metabolic vectors like focus, longevity and athletic vector with the help of your metabolic score. While glucose zones help to determine your fuelling score, food logging enables you to track your dietary patterns and understand the glucose response to the food and drinks you consume. It also gives you data about how eating at a certain time and eating foods in certain combinations and portion sizes affect your blood sugar.

This information is received in the form of weekly reports of top and bottom food zones. It’s imperative to know that the Ultrahuman M1 needs to be replace a fresh one after a period of two weeks. Your average weekly metabolic score which gives you a consolidated picture for the week. Finally, the actionable real-time nudges that the app offers helps you correct your mistakes and prevent both blood sugar spikes and crashes.

For example, the device prompts you to take a short work to flatten the rising glucose post a carb-heavy meal. It also offers positive feedback and tells you when your blood glucose has been consistently in the recommended range. What you can measure, you can manage and improve. So are you set to start your blood glucose monitoring journey?

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for general information and educational purposes only. It neither provides any medical advice nor intends to substitute professional medical opinion on the treatment, diagnosis, prevention or alleviation of any disease, disorder or disability. Always consult with your doctor or qualified healthcare professional about your health condition and/or concerns before undertaking a new healthcare regimen including making any dietary or lifestyle changes.

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