Continuous glucose monitors can dramatically improve blood sugar control among people with type 2 diabetes who aren’t yet taking insulin, a new clinical trial says. Nearly twice as many people with diabetes fitted with a continuous glucose monitor achieved their blood sugar treatment goals as those without the devices, researchers reported Oct. 14 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
On average, adults using glucose monitors had about five additional hours each day within their target blood sugar range, researchers found.
“We hope this research will help strengthen national diabetes care guidelines and expand insurance coverage, making this technology more accessible to the millions of patients who could benefit from it,” lead researcher Dr. Tamara Oser, founder and director of the Primary Care Diabetes Lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz, said in a news release.
Currently, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) wholeheartedly recommends continuous glucose monitors for people with type 2 diabetes who are on insulin, researchers said in background notes.
However, the ADA says there’s little evidence to support use of the devices among people who are still managing their blood sugar through lifestyle measures or other diabetes drugs, researchers said. The new study, however, challenges that thought.
For the study, researchers recruited 283 Americans with type 2 diabetes and randomly assigned about half to receive a continuous glucose monitor — a small sensor on the body that tracks blood sugar levels day and night.
These devices help patients see how their blood sugar responds to food, exercise, and other daily habits, researchers said in background notes.
None of the patients were taking insulin, researchers said. Those not provided a monitor used traditional finger-stick testing to track their blood sugar.
“An estimated 20 million adults in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not take insulin, and despite advances in treatment, many still do not reach glycemic targets,” Oser said.
“Over time, elevated blood sugar can increase the risk of serious health complications, including heart disease, kidney disease and vision loss, so it’s important we continue to improve care for everyone with diabetes,” she added.
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Results showed that after half a year, 68 percent of the patients fitted with a glucose monitor achieved an A1C reading below 7.5 percent, and nearly half had an A1C below 7 percent. A common treatment goal for people with diabetes is 7 percent or under, researchers noted.
Overall, patients using a glucose monitor experienced an average 1.6-point reduction in their A1C from a baseline of 8.8 percent, researchers said. That was nearly a point greater reduction than those tracking their blood sugar through usual methods.
Patients with a glucose monitor also spent five additional hours per day in their blood sugar target range.
“These results provide compelling evidence that CGM use can meaningfully improve glucose outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin,” senior researcher Dr. Roy Beck, medical director of the JAEB Center for Health Research in Tampa, Florida, said in a news release.
Nearly all study participants continued to use the glucose monitors even after the study ended, which Beck said pointed to their usefulness in daily diabetes management.
“Furthermore, the consistency of benefit across a broad range of people and treatment regimens supports consideration of the use of a CGM much earlier in type 2 diabetes management before insulin is needed,” Beck said.
The trial was funded by Dexcom, manufacturer of the continuous glucose monitors used in the study.
Research shows that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black adults are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and experience diabetes-related complications, including kidney disease, vision problems, nerve damage, and lower-extremity amputations.
Improved day-to-day glucose management may help reduce long-term risks for Black people with type 2 diabetes. Technologies like a continuous glucose monitor may help people understand how food, exercise, stress, and medications affect blood sugar, which can be especially valuable in communities facing a higher burden of the chronic disease.
This study is just one example of how clinical trials evaluate new approaches to diabetes management.
Researchers use clinical trials to learn:
Ongoing diabetes clinical trials continue to examine technology-based approaches for prevention and disease management.
RELATED: Early-Onset Type 2 Diabetes May Be Reversible With Lifestyle Changes
The latest study shows how continuous glucose monitors may improve outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes. This technology could be especially beneficial for Black adults, who are disproportionately affected by the chronic disease. However, access to the medical device is currently limited. Researchers hope the findings will encourage more insurance plans to cover continuous glucose monitors so more patients can benefit.
More information
The National Institutes of Health has more on continuous glucose monitors.
SOURCE: University of Colorado Anschutz, news release, Oct. 14, 2026
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